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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-03-14 Commission on Cultural Development Minutes City of Bangor, Commission on Cultural Development Minutes March 14, 2013 8:30 AM City Council Chambers Commissioners present: Tim Lo (Chair), Jamie Ballinger, Judy Boothby , Chas Bruns, Councilor Blanchette, Elisabeth Young, and Jason Bird (staff) Commissioners not in attendance: George Kinghorn (Vice-Chair), Josh Plourde 1. Previous Meeting Minutes_________________________________________________ Jamie Ballinger made a motion, which was seconded by Elisabeth Young, to approve the minutes as presented. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. 2. Vacant Seat Update_________________________________________________ Jason Bird updated the group on the process to fill the vacant Associate seat on the Commission. He said that the City may be able to post a new search sometime in the summer when it has a few other vacancies to fill. 3. Grant Review Process_________________________________________________ After consideration, a motion was made by Jamie and seconded by Elisabeth to recommend the Council approve the following changes to the grant review and scoring criteria: 1. Assign: A lead reviewer would be assigned to each grant application, responsibilities include:  Individual would present the grant to the commission for review.  Research beyond the application when applicable.  Answer questions from the board in the event clarification is required, in deliberation.  Identify “strengths” and “weaknesses” to the board regarding the application during deliberation. 2. Question and Answer: A.) At the beginning of the meeting ALL applicants would be invited for a Q+A session at the beginning of the meeting (restricted to 5-10 mins) 3. Deliberation: In a closed session to the applicants, the commission would openly discuss the applications.  The lead reviewer would lead their applications’ deliberation.  Members would openly discuss strengths and weaknesses of the application.  Notes would be taken, bullet points in two categories, strengths and weaknesses. These notes would be made available to the public and returned to the applicant no matter the outcome.  If a grant amount requested needs to be amended, for “partial funding” it occurs here, before moving on to the “scoring” phase. 4. Scoring: When a grant has finished deliberation, each commission member would be asked to assign a numerical value rating the grant application 1-5. A score of 1 represents a grant request of weak merit, a score of 5 represents a grant request of strong merit.  Each member would be given a personal scoring sheet.  Each voting members score(s) would be kept anonymous from other board members (if they wish)  The score card must be initialed by the voting member 5. Evaluation: After all the grants have been reviewed, the score sheets will be collected and tallied, determining which grant requests will be funded.  A cumulative average higher than “4” will be acknowledged as successful  In the event that enough grant funds are not available, the highest cumulative average would determine successful grants  If necessary, the process would be repeated beginning at “Deliberation” to determine successful grant awards. Grant Criteria Below are guidelines that reflect the Commission’s desired  Displays a substantial level of artistic merit  Public art/visibility  Programming  Historical funding levels (how much and how frequently has individual/organization been awarded funds)  Assists in promoting Bangor as an arts capital  Further promotes Bangor’s creative-economy  Showcases residents and resources of Bangor natives  Shows an ability to be sustainable  Demonstrates the capacity to complete the project  Is open or accessible to the public  The duration of the project  Detailed marketing proposal of the event/performance Grant Rules: stst  Large grant applications will be due (twice a year) May 1 and Nov 1  Smaller grants (below $1,000) will have rolling admissions, grants received prior to 3 weeks before the next meeting will be reviewed, otherwise pushed to the next meeting  Individuals are eligible to apply for grants up to $1,000  Individuals that receive funding will be reimbursed for eligible expenses only once the project is completed.  Applicants must show a match of other funds of 100% (or 1 to 1)  Organization/Individual may apply once every 12 months (w/ a recommendation that they do not apply in consecutive fiscal years)  Displays a direct benefit to the residents of Bangor, or grant take place within city limits  No funding will be provided to projects that have already occurred The Commission will review these changes in a year to determine their effectiveness and to consider any necessary changes. The motion passed by a unanimous vote. 4. Discussion of Future Vision and Purpose of the Commission_____________________ The Commission discussed fund raising as well as the future vision and purpose of the Commission. 5. 2014 Funding Request_________________________________________________ After discussion, Chas Bruns made a motion, which was seconded by Judy Boothby, to request $125,000 in funding for the Commission in the upcoming budget. The motion passed by a unanimous vote with Councilor Blanchette abstaining.