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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-01-21 Commission on Cultural Development Minutes City of Bangor, Commission on Cultural Development January 21, 2010, 8 AM City Council Chambers -Minutes- Commissioners in Attendance: Steve Ribble, Commission Chair; Sandra Blake-Leonard, Susan Carlisle, Geoff Gratwick, Susan Jonason and John Rohman, Others in Attendance: Rod McKay, City of Bangor Director of Community & Economic Development and Shirar Patterson, Business & Economic Development Officer Commissioners Absent: Robert Zavaleta Guests: Heather McCarthy (Bangor Folk Festival), David Whitehill and Sarah McCarthy (Bangor Symphony Orchestra) Handouts: Financials. Grant applications from both organizations were provided to Commissioners in advance of the meeting Next Meeting Date: April 28, 2010 @ 8:00 am 1. Welcome & Introductions Commission members introduced themselves. 2. Approval of Minutes from 10/28/2009 meeting S. Jonason made a motion to approve the 10/28/2009 minutes as submitted; Seconded by S. Carlisle. All in favor. 3. Maine Arts Commission Capacity Building Grant Update S. Patterson reported that the project is moving forward. Morel Marketing has been awarded the contract for marketing and design work for the logo, brochure, web template and sign recommendations as outlined in the grant application and RFP. Morel is ready to begin work and a meeting has been scheduled with Morel for 02/02/2010 to discuss the project and goals with the Commission and the Arts and Cultural Executive Directors. J. Rohman asked S. Patterson to report on follow up with Morel Marketing’s references and travel questions. S. Patterson reported that all three of Morel’s references were positive and all parties would work with them again. Shirar spoke with Michelle Morel and all travel costs are included in the $6,000 budget figure so there will not be additional travel costs from Morel. S. Patterson also noted that she and S. Ribble had visited the Maine Arts Commission in Augusta. The meeting was a positive experience and the Maine Arts Commission staff is very interested in the work we are doing in Bangor. Maine Arts Commission staff indicated they would entertain an application for extension on the project deadline or change of scope should it be necessary. S. Patterson and S. Ribble noted that our goal is to finish the project on schedule but will apply for an extension if necessary. 4. Review Commission Financials S. Patterson reviewed the Commission financials with Commissioners. The Council has approved the Commissions funding recommendations for FY10 thus far which include: Penobscot Theatre (Spunk) $15,000 and Downtown Countdown 2010 $2,000. Based on the FY2010 allocation from the City Council the Commission has $79,950 remaining to recommend for funding arts and cultural projects. 5. Discussion of Grant Applications received January 1, 2010 Commissioners invited a representative from the American Folk Festival (Bangor Folk Festival) to speak on behalf of the application. Heather McCarthy, Director, spoke on behalf of the application. H. McCarthy thanked the Commissioners for the opportunity to speak. She noted that this grant request is particularly important in light of the challenges of the past 6 months both economic challenges and the 2+” of rain on festival Saturday in 2009. H. McCarthy noted that the board has been diligent and members have been meeting weekly to look at the budget and resources available. This group has been working to revise the budget and still meet expectations of high quality, diversity, sustainability and fiscal responsibility within the capacity of overall fundraising. A preliminary budget has been provided as the board is in the process of finalizing the 2010 budget and it will be forthcoming. Councilor Gratwick noted that he does not speak for the overall City Council as he is one of 9 individuals that serve. He also noted that Councilor Bronson and Councilor Weston are the City’s direct representatives on the Folk Festival Board. G. Gratwick noted that he has observed a disconnect between the council and the Folk Festival board/staff. G. Gratwick noted that the City budget is facing major cuts of $600K-$1 million from the existing budget for FY2010. G. Gratwick noted that funding in the overall budget is not assured; including Cultural Commission funds and that anything is on the table for this budget cut process. G. Gratwick urged the commission not to make a decision today. He informed Commission members that there is a major meeting after the Finance Committee on February 1, 2010. The Folk Festival/City relationship will be discussed at this meeting and G. Gratwick encouraged all Cultural Commission members to attend. J. Rohman expressed that he felt the Commission should move forward with the Commission’s process as charged and review the application and make a recommendation to the City Council. G. Gratwick noted he concurs but wants to assure Commissioners recognize that they are part of a larger process. G. Gratwick also noted that he is and has been supportive of the Folk Festival in the past and even advocated giving the festival increased funding last year. It was expressed that this group (Commission on Cultural Development) will need to be a real advocate for the arts moving forward. S. Ribble asked G. Gratwick to clarify if the Cultural Commission budget as it stands now could be reduced or if he was talking about future reductions? G. Gratwick noted that it could be either. Discussions of budget cuts at the City level are ongoing with all departments. The gap needs to be made up by June of this year. S. Blake-Leonard agreed with J. Rohman that the Commission needs to make a recommendation to the council as charged. H. McCarthy noted that they have been surveying performers since 2002. All have indicated they enjoy performing in Bangor and want to come back. The Folk Festival is asking for financial considerations from past performers to return and preliminary requests have been positive. She noted that this shows how Bangor is becoming a destination for the artistic community. S. Jonason noted that she understands that other festivals across the country are experiencing similar pressures to what the American Folk Festival is. H. McCarthy noted that there is not actual data on this information but anecdotally it is true. H. McCarthy was asked if other major sponsors had been secured yet and she noted that the Bangor Daily News and the National Endowment for the Arts had signed on for 2010. She noted that the Folk Festival is working at all levels to secure sponsors. S.Carlisle noted that she is pleased to see trimming of the budget and if it works as currently written it will be great. H. McCarthy noted it has been an honor to work with the Board of Directors through this process. G. Gratwick urged H. McCarthy to have detailed conversations with the Council members assigned to the American Folk Festival Board before the meeting on 2/01/10. H. McCarthy left the table at this time. Bangor Symphony Orchestra representatives David Whitehill (Director) and Sarah McCarthy (Development Director) approached the table to present on the Bangor Symphony Orchestra grant application to the Commissioners. D. Whitehill shared that the request to the Cultural Commission is for operating costs. The Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s (BSO) goal is to have the most successful season as possible, remaining fiscally responsible and providing quality entertainment for all in the community. He noted that for the last year to year and a half the BSO has refined their focus to meet the needs of the current economic climate and the changing arts climate. The BSO has made cuts as necessary and entered into partnerships to further the mission of the BSO. The BSO has partnered with the Collins Center for the Arts for box office services and with Husson University for administrative space and services. Musicians have consolidated rehearsals from two weekends to one weekend and the BSO has moved to co-produce shows with the Collins Center for the Arts as equal partners. Through all the consolidation and cuts the art has not been cut. D. Whitehill noted that the year started with a balanced budget but ticket sales are lower, which was expected as data shows ticket sales decrease when conducting a national conductor search. Corporate sponsorships are lower, but close, to established goals. BSO felt it was prudent to apply for the operational funding rather than a project based funding due to the fact that BSO is undergoing a search for the artistic leader and feel that new projects will be introduced once the new conductor is on board. D. Whitehill thanked the Commissioners for offering him the opportunity to give a brief overview of their application. S. Ribble thanked D. Whitehill for a nice presentation. J. Rohman congratulated BSO on a well put together proposal and the hard work they have done to consolidate efforts of this organization that is important to the Bangor community. D. Whitehill noted that it is with the help of the Board of Directors and the Development Committee. He noted the Development Committee is larger than their board and it indicates a great deal of stewardship for the organization. He also discussed the Know Your Orchestra voucher program (offering free tickets and reduced costs to 70-100 children and their family members per show), the “no strings attached” sale and free tickets offered to The Nutcracker for low income families. Indicating these efforts make the BSO accessible to all. Almost $200,000 has been removed from the budget. S. Jonason noted that she is proud of the work that BSO is doing. At this point D. Whitehill and S. McCarthy left the table and the Commissioners took a brief recess. 6. Grant Application Recommendation to City Council Upon return from recess the Commissioners began discussing their recommendation for the City Council on the grant applications discussed. J. Rohman noted that he respects G. Gratwick’s comments but felt the Commissioners should move forward with their charge. J. Rohman noted that both groups who applied for the January 1, 2010 deadline are important to the community and provide economic development opportunities. He also noted that this is not a time for the City to cut back on support of these efforts. Without making a motion J. Rohman suggested recommending funding of $15,000-$20,000 for the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and $50,000 for the American Folk Festival. This is in line with behaving within fiscal restraints and would leave $9,000 in the Commission FY10 budget for funding of smaller grants (application deadline April 1, 2010). It was noted that smaller groups should be encouraged to apply for the April 1, 2010 deadline. Groups such as the Art Walk and Penobscot River Watershed group. S. Blake-Leonard shared that this is a time for the Cultural Commission to be as aggressive as we can respectfully be. This work is as important as all of the services the City provides the community and psychologically important to community members during these difficult times. S. Ribble noted that Commissioners and arts and cultural organizations need to be front and center supporting these efforts. It is necessary to present well to the community and highlight all there is to do. Some expressed concerns using all funds for FY10 because there will possibly be less funding available in FY11. S. Carlisle noted that in most cases the Commission has not recommended funding for operating costs but the BSO made a superior presentation and case for need. She also noted that she feels the City should support American Folk Festival but it will not be able to fund at the level of the request. S. Jonason noted that these are two organizations that define Bangor. BSO is a model for any community orchestra out there and one of the best in the country with a long history in Bangor. They are doing work a nonprofit should do to sustain itself. S. Jonason also noted that AFF has put Bangor on the map and is a fairly new organization. All new organizations go through growing pains and the AFF is working through the growing pains. S. Jonason felt that AFF is important to the City and it needs our support. Commission members were in agreement that it is most important to maintain the status of the Commission on Cultural Development and be grounded in the current realities of the economy. MOTION: G. Gratwick made a motion to recommend to the City Council to provide $20,000 in funding to the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and $45,000 to the American Folk Festival. S. Blake-Leonard seconded the motion. DISSCUSSION: J. Rohman felt $15,000 was too much to remain in the budget for the remaining small grant cycle. S. Blake-Leonard noted that the motion will send a message to the City Council that the Commission understands the position the Council is willing to cooperate while maintaining the Commission’s support of local arts and cultural organizations. S. Ribble noted that the motion is fiscally responsible and supports arts and culture. S. Ribble also noted that the Commission will need to have funds available to match any future grant opportunities. THE MOTION STANDS. S. Ribble calls for a vote. All in favor. Other Items? J. Rohman mentioned the Maine Arts Commission CEED grant opportunity. This is a $50,000 grant that will be awarded to two Maine Communities. It requires a 1:1 ($50,000) match. S. Patterson noted she and S. Ribble discussed this opportunity with the Maine Arts Commission staff during their visit and will be exploring this opportunity further. J. Rohman suggested that S. Patterson look into grant opportunities that will further arts and culture and the work of the Cultural Commission and have this information available to present to the City Council. S. Patterson will look into grant opportunities and report back to the Commission. Meeting adjourned approximately 9:15 AM