Organizers of a new $6 million cultural center in Savannah say, they hope the educational and performance space will bring together communities separated by more than just a body of water. Savannah and Skidaway Island are separated by a causeway, but might as well be foreign countries for Savannah residents who have no business at the island’s gated community, home to 7,000 residents, and for those Skidaway residents who don’t get out much. Skidaway cultural center organizer Mary Vernick says, while many islanders are active in the community, "I don't think we have as many people active as we could have if we helped people by carpooling or bussing them." Vernick says, the center aims to bring the Savannah and Skidaway communities together through educational and artistic events at a center accessible to the public. The Skidaway Community Institute already has started regular trips to Savannah and elsewhere in the region. The island’s cultural center is scheduled to open in 2009 and eventually will have a 300 seat theater.
