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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA&C - 2007-10-16 ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES Tuesday, October 16, 2007 CITY OF KITCHENER PRESENT: Jennifer Breithaupt, Alison Burkett, Len Carter, Paul Eichhorn, Councillor Kelly Galloway, Lawrence McNaught, Sherryl Petricevic, Bill Poole, Fitz Vanderpool, Jamie Vasey, Cheryl York, Carrie Kozlowski. GUEST: Renate Willms REGRETS: Don Chapman, Councillor John Gazzola, Suzanne Ronald, J.D. McGuire 1.0 CALL TO ORDER: Jennifer Breithaupt 1.1 Approval of Agenda A motion was made by Len Carter to approve the agenda as circulated. Jamie seconded the motion. All were in favour; the motion was carried. Councillor Galloway let ACAC members know that to thank them for their participation in the committee tickets are available to members to see “Pinteresque: Exit Strategy” presented at the Registry Theatre by MT Space on November 17. These tickets are courtesy of the City’s volunteer recognition program. 1.2 Delegations: none 2.0 BUSINESS ARISING: 2.1 Approval of June 19, 2007 and September 18, 2007 Minutes A motion was made by Jamie Vasey to approve the minutes of the two above-noted meetings. Paul Eichhorn seconded the motion. All were in favour; the motion was carried. 2.2 Special Event Update: On behalf of Don Chapman, Jennifer Breithaupt reported that a consultant is being selected for the Special Event Strategic Plan. 2.3 Council Report: Councillor Galloway 2.3.1 City Council agreed that Kitchener citizens will elect 10 Councillors and a Mayor at the next consultant will be involved, and the public will be consulted municipal election in 2010. A throughout the process. 2.3.2 The King Street Masterplan is 60% complete. The selected theme is Pedestrian First. This theme includes flexible, programmable space using moveable bollards to delineate areas for events and/or parking. There will be options to close off parts of King Street for special events. Implementation will occur in phases. Information (including plans) is available on the web. Comments may also be logged. Visit www.kitchener.ca/king_street_master_plan.html. Len Carter recalls that King Street from Frederick to Victoria had been a pedestrian mall in the past, and wonders why the City’s treatment of King Street changed. He noted that the selected theme hearkens back to the pedestrian mall of an earlier time. 2.3.3 Councillor Galloway reported that the Hanson Avenue Athletic Complex is on track for a Spring 2008 opening. Donations are still being sought. $1M of the required $2M has been raised so far through “Places to Play” campaign. Options exist to purchase a seat, or to have a space in the facility named in honour of a donor. Contact Councillor Galloway for more details. 2.3.4 The Huron Natural Area will open officially on Friday, October 19, with special programs running on Saturday. It is a place of cultural significance and offers much to explore 1 October 2007 - ACAC Minutes ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES Tuesday, October 16, 2007 CITY OF KITCHENER including boardwalks, trails, a pond, lookouts, a picnic area, a green roof and washrooms. Councillor Galloway invites all to visit the area and enjoy the outdoor activities. It is located off of Trillium Drive, near Strasburg and Bleams Roads. 2.3.5 Regarding the World Religion Conference’s provisional (one-time) grant request ACAC considered at its last meeting, Councillor Galloway reported that the report was presented at the October 15 CSC. The report included ACAC’s recommendations that the group consider Kitchener as next year’s venue, provide more lead time when making future requests, report back to ACAC in January 2008 on the group itself and the outcomes of the conference. A 3-2 vote in favour of the grant request resulted. Council had concerns about setting a precedent regarding religious funding. It will go to Council for ratification on Monday, October 22. ACTION: Staff will invite the group to the January 2008 ACAC meeting 2.4 ACAC Waterloo: Bill Poole Bill Poole reported that ACAC Waterloo is now getting underway, and will meet for the first time on Thursday, October 18, 2007. Bill is the interim chairperson. The group will review its mandate and the role of the committee, as well as its public art and heritage sub-committees. ACAC Waterloo will determine its structure, mandate and mission by December 31, 2007. 3.0 NEW BUSINESS: Cheryl York 3.1 Review of Grant Applications: Cheryl York introduced Renate Willms, Supervisor of Administration, Community Services, to the committee. Renate will answer ACAC committee members’ questions regarding the grant application process. Because the process is currently under review (under the auspices of the Community Investment Strategy), it is being handled differently than usual. During this period, new requests for annual grants are treated as provisional grants. Typically, annual grants are considered during the City’s budgeting process so that appropriate funds can be allocated. Even if a group has secured an annual grant in the past, the group is still reviewed annually before funding is provided. Generally, if the group continues to meet the stated requirements, funding will be provided. The objective is to keep the old and new procedures separate. Cheryl York then explained that ACAC as a whole rather than ACAC grant sub-committee is considering these grant applications to save time and as an opportunity for the entire committee to learn about the grants process. The two grants on today’s agenda (World Religion’s Conference and Millennium Choir Organization) are seeking annual funding, but will be treated as provisional grants for 2008. The intention is to bring the grants forward to the December 3, 2007 Community Services Committee (CSC) meeting. 3.1.1 World Religions Conference: Bill Poole suggested that ACAC might not be able to deal with a second grant application for 2008 funding by the World Religion Conference before resolution of their 2007 grant request as too many factors are out of the committee’s control, and ACAC should meet the group prior to consideration of additional grant requests. The committee then discussed the possibility of delaying consideration of the World Religions Grant request, and the pros and cons of this option. Renate Willms 2 October 2007 - ACAC Minutes ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES Tuesday, October 16, 2007 CITY OF KITCHENER commented that it might be possible for the CSC to look at the grant request at another grant meeting held at a date later than December 3, 2007. It could be brought forward in early 2008. The group doesn’t need the funds until the event in the fall. Council is already aware that the event organizers will be making another request for the 2008 conference. Renate Willms will investigate the possibility of bringing the World Religions Conference and the Millennium Choir Grant forward to council in February or March 2008 instead of at the December 3, 2007 CSC meeting. It had been staff’s intention to bring grants forward under the old system prior to the implementation of the new grant system under the Community Investment Strategy. ACTION: Renate Willms will verify that deferring both grants (World Religions Conference and Millennium Choir) to February/March 2008 adheres to the interim procedures approved by Council in June 2007. ACTION: Staff will issue an invitation to World Religions group dependent on approval of first grant request by the group. The committee then discussed the pros and cons of deferring both grant applications from today’s agenda (World Religion’s Conference and Millennium Choir Organization) to a future meeting. A motion was made by Alison Burkett, seconded by Jamie Vasey, that ACAC will consider the Millennium Choir Grant application today so that Renate Willms can take this grant request to CSC when appropriate, and defer consideration of the World Religions Conference Grant. Motion carried. 3.1.2 Millennium Choir: The Committee then discussed the Millennium Choir’s Grant application. The discussion highlighted that the information provided is incomplete or unclear. More information is required before a decision can be made. The following issues arose: ? The group has donated operating surpluses to other groups (in what years this occurred are not clear). This is in contravention of criteria # 9 in ACAC’s grant review guidelines: “Grant applications from organizations that themselves distribute grants to other organizations will not be considered. Grants are for direct programs only.” This criterion prevents the City from indirectly supporting organizations without intending to do so. However, if the group puts on concerts in kind, plays for free and donates the proceeds to the charity, then the group wouldn’t necessarily be violating criteria # 9. More information is required. ? The group’s financial statements are unclear. The group reports a $4,000 surplus (or assets-whether or not this is cash is uncertain) and a loss of $11,000. Other items (rent for concert and rehearsal space, budgeted donations to other groups, and financial assistance provided to members of the group) are not included as expected on the financial statements. ? The group reports ticket sales of $6,000. Grant Criteria # 6 states that “to be eligible for a grant, there will be no general admission or minimum charge to ensure as much public participation or access as possible”. (The committee will bear this in mind when considering future grant requests. Renate Willms noted that this criterion will be considered during the CIS review of the entire grant process). 3 October 2007 - ACAC Minutes ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES Tuesday, October 16, 2007 CITY OF KITCHENER ? The City could make an in-kind donation of space for rehearsal or concerts. Whether or not this would be appropriate is undecided, as according to the group’s financial statements, it has spent little on space rental. The grant request application form submitted to Renate Willms by the Millennium Choir was incomplete. Renate requested the group to provide additional financial information, details about venues and budgets, but may not have asked all of the questions that the Arts/Culture Advisory Committee would have asked to determine this group’s value from an Arts/Culture perspective. The following two step process could be used: 1) ACAC reviews grant requests and formulates questions for the group 2) Renate obtains additional information requested from group. That information would be brought back at the following ACAC meeting for consideration and recommendation. A motion was made by Alison Burkett, seconded by Bill Poole, that an ACAC decision on the Millennium Choir Grant Application will be deferred to allow ACAC to ask the group questions regarding its funding of charities. The following questions will be put to the group. Responses in writing will be requested. The group will be invited to the November 2007 meeting: ? Explain the loss of $11,000 reported on the Millennium Choir’s Audited Statements. ? Elaborate on the $2,000 in Venue/Hall rentals reported. ? What, if any, community contributions were made in 2006 and 2007? What are the group’s future intentions in this regard? Motion carried. ACTION: Staff will put these questions to the group. Staff will invite the group to the November meeting. 4.0INFORMATION ITEMS: Cheryl York 4.1 Civic Square Redevelopment Project: Cheryl York distributed general information about the project and a survey to collect opinions on the direction of the project, which is currently in the very early stages. A meeting will occur at 6:30pm this evening, Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at the Registry Theatre to begin the discussion of possibilities. Paul Eichhorn will be attending this meeting and offered to present any opinions expressed by ACAC to the Civic Square Redevelopment committee. With the Registry Theatre, the Centre in the Square, the KW Art Gallery and the Library, the Civic Square area is rich with Arts/Culture features. This complements (not competes with) the current efforts to instill the downtown with a Special Events focus. However, the original vision for the Civic Square area has not been realized. Retail and residential could help to bring life to the area after-hours and when shows are not on. The current parking situation spoils the block. This area is a complicated part of the city as it plays many different roles. One approach might be to make the area walk-able (using paths) from the downtown. This would complement the Pedestrian First theme for the King Street Masterplan, and allow for growth of a “walking tour of the arts district”. The Civic Square’s success would help efforts to revitalize the downtown. 4 October 2007 - ACAC Minutes ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES Tuesday, October 16, 2007 CITY OF KITCHENER Jennifer Breithaupt provided a background on the Courthouse and its future in the Civic Square. The Registry Theatre, the Centre in the Square, the KW Art Gallery and the library are the major players in this initiative. However, the City is involved. The process is just in the visioning stages, so it is still early days. ACAC would like to be involved in this project. ACTION: Staff will invite leaders to attend an ACAC meeting (at a time appropriate to the Civic Square committee) to provide further information and to discuss how ACAC might participate. 4.2Roundtable Information Items: Lawrence McNaught updated the committee on upcoming theatre events taking place at the Registry over the next 6 weeks. He handed out information about NUMUS. Alison Burkett announced that her new Gallery on the Grand will be opening January 1, 2008 next to Golf’s Steakhouse on Lancaster Street in Kitchener. Bill Poole noted that the Technology in Arts conference will be moved to early May, and mentioned the Municipal Cultural Planning Partnership. 5.0FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS/COMMITTEE WORK PLAN: Jennifer Breithaupt 5.1 Kitchener Youth Action Council (KYAC): ACAC would like a member of KYAC to participate in ACAC as an ad-hoc youth representative. Janice Ouellette to attend a future ACAC meeting. ACTION: Staff to invite Janice Ouellette to attend November 20, 2007 meeting on behalf of KYAC. 5.2 Memorial Cup 2008 and the arts: Cheryl York explained that the City is currently undertaking a Public Art competition for artwork to be located outside the Auditorium at the Ottawa Street entrance to the building. The terms of reference are out, and the deadline for proposals is December 10, 2007. Installation will be complete to coincide with the Memorial Cup in May 2008. The committee then discussed other opportunities to link the arts and youth to the Memorial Cup, and how to raise the profile of the event. The Memorial Cup is an opportunity for Kitchener to put its best foot forward, as the City will be under the spotlight. The Rangers are part of Kitchener’s culture. A motion was made by Alison Burkett, seconded by Jamie Vasey, that ACAC will hold an ad-hoc meeting during the first week of December 2007 to brainstorm ideas on how to incorporate Arts/Culture in the Memorial Cup. John Thompson will be invited to attend on behalf of the event. Motion carried. ACTION: Staff will plan a meeting about the Memorial Cup and will invite John Thompson to attend. 5.3 Prosperity Council’s “Creative Intersections”: Deferred until February, 2008. ACTION: Staff to express ACAC’s interest in attending “Creative Intersections”. 5 October 2007 - ACAC Minutes ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES Tuesday, October 16, 2007 CITY OF KITCHENER 6.0ADJOURNMENT/NEXT MEETING A motion was made by Bill Poole, seconded by Jamie, to adjourn the October meeting. The next meeting will be held on November 20, 2007 in the Schmalz Room, Kitchener City Hall, starting at 4:00 p.m. 6 October 2007 - ACAC Minutes