By Karen Kennedy and Pete Smith
The management of Carmel’s Center for the Performing Arts is trying to distance itself from any ties to an unfavorable audit of the Carmel Redevelopment Commission.
According to the State Board of Accounts’ recently released audit of the CRC’s 2012 books, the state found $29,464.38 missing in money the CRC should have collected from Palladium ticket sales.
Tania Castroverde Moskalenko, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for the Performing Arts, said in a statement, “For the calendar year 2012 – the year that was audited, our records show payment in full for amounts owed through October. However, some amounts owed in November and December 2012 were settled in 2013. At this time the center has no outstanding amounts due the CRC or the city for calendar year 2012. We had our own audit in June of 2013, and I can absolutely say that we do not owe the CRC any money.”
John Hughey, a spokesman for the Center of the Center for the Performing Arts, said in a statement declining to reveal the amounts paid for November and December 2012, “We decline additional commentary, simply because we are not the appropriate organization to speak about the CRC’s audit.”
There were three major areas in which the CRC allegedly failed to collect money due.
One of those three areas refers to an agreement between the Palladium, the CRC and the Carmel City Center Community Development Corporation, in which a per-ticket surcharge was to be collected from the Palladium.
The audit report reads as follows:
“The CRC has a parking and grant agreement with the Carmel City Center Community Development Corporation (4CDC) to receive a $2.50 surcharge for each ticket sold at the Palladium. A total of 81,330 tickets were sold in 2012. This should have resulted in a collection of $203,325, but only $173,860.62 was collected, leaving a deficit of $29,464.38 uncollected.”
Given the recent resignations of Les Olds and Matt Worthley, the CRC has no development employees remaining to ask about the audit or the missing funds.
In a statement, city spokeswoman Melanie Lentz said, “The mayor says that it’s accounted for.”
As of press time the city was unable to provide further evidence to demonstrate that was the case. Check youarecurrent.com for updates on the status of the CRC audit.