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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCultural Resources Board - Minutes - 04/22/1998City of Fort Collins I Library and Recreational Seru Lincoln Center CULTURAL RESOURCES BOARD MINUTES Regular Meeting - Wednesday, April 22, 1998 5:30 p.m. Lincoln Center Council Liaison: Will Smith Staff Liaison: David Siever Chairperson: Jennifer Beccard Phone: 495-1875(h) Vice -Chair: Fran Johnson Phone: 493-4480(h) A regular meeting of the Cultural Resources Board was held on Wednesday, April 22 at the Lincoln Center. The following members were present: Jennifer Beccard, Fran Johnson, Brenda Martin, Bruce Hendee, Joan Day, Corinne Govan Board Members Absent: Loren Hooper Staff Members Present: David Siever, Lincoln Center Evan Hyatt, Lincoln Center Mike Powers, CLRS Guests: Jeff Williams, CVB Kathy Grabo AGENDA I. Call to order (5:34 p.m.) - Jennifer Beccard II. Consideration of tonight's agenda - Discussion item VII was moved in front of item V. III. Consideration of minutes of Mar. 25, 1998 - Motion to accept the minutes of Mar. 25, 1998 as written: Fran Johnson Second: Joan Day Passed unanimously 417 West Magnolia • Fort Collins, CO 80521-2646 • (970) 221-6735 • FAX (970) 484-0424 IV. Recommendation to City Council on the Site Selection for the new Performing Arts Facility - Fran Johnson moved to recommend the site for the new performing arts center be in the downtown area. Joan Day seconded the motion. Through further discussion the Board decided to name the downtown location as the only choice and not recommend a second or third choice. This decision was based on the input received from both the local arts organizations that met with Board members to discuss the issue and the feedback from the open house held on April 2. Jennifer Beccard raised a concern over the fact that choosing a downtown site would eliminate the possibility of working jointly with Colorado State University on the building of a facility. Board members recognized the value of working jointly with Colorado State University but suggested that joint efforts could come in the areas of programming and education rather than a facility. Kathy Grabo from the homeowner's association surrounding old Fort Collins High School, expressed that the homeowner's association is against a facility of the .size of the new performing arts center being built at the old Fort Collins High School site. This opposition was based on the anticipated traffic congestion that a facility such as this would bring to the area. A question was raised as to whether the Board should recommend that the arts center be in the same area as the new Library site. The Library Board has already recommended a downtown site so the Board felt is was not necessary to recommend that the two facilities be in the same area. The motion passed unanimously. Corrine Govan and Bruce Hendee will draft a letter to the City Council stating the Board's recommendation. Board members will review the letter and provide input. The recommendation will be presented to City Council on May 5 and will be discussed at the Council's work session on May 12. VII. Information on "Valuing the Arts Conference" - At the Board's meeting in March, the Board reviewed Information regarding the "Valuing the Arts Conference" to be held in Denver June 6 - 8. Jennifer Beccard has approached members of City Council for funding so that 1 to 3 Board members can attend. Ms. Beccard expects to hear from Council by the end of April. E V. Discussion of State of the Arts conference and what are the next steps - The State of the Arts Conference that was held on March 30 was a big success with more than 250 participants. As many as 125 participants volunteered to help with the follow-up process to the conference. Since that meeting, the Board has received a rough draft of the final report on the meeting from Rebecca Reynolds. Board members were given a copy of the draft and were asked to give comments to Jennifer Beccard so that she can forward them on the Ms. Reynolds to include in the final report. The original steering committee that organized the State of the Arts Conference, is working with City Council to find out what Council would like to see happen with the information that was gained from the conference. Any ideas that the steering committee would like to go before City Council will be brought before the Board prior to their submission. Ms. Beccard expressed to Mayor Ann Azari that the same type of event such as the State of the Arts would be beneficial for the historical resources of the city. Jennifer Beccard and Corinne Govan are working on creating a non-profit organization to act as a United Fund for the Arts in Fort Collins. VI. Update on search for Museum Director - Interviews for the Museum Director position were held Tuesday, April 21. The two interview panels narrowed the field of .candidates to two people. A final decision will be made by April 27 and a new Director should be in place by early to mid -May. VIII. Review of past Fort Fund events - The Board reviewed final reports from the following events/organizations: Poudre School District Bas Bleu Theatre Friends of Traditional Dance Friends of the Senior Center The Family Music Festival sponsored by Options of Northern Colorado has been canceled. The organization has returned the $1,000 it received from Fort Fund. The date of the Indian Music Concert sponsored by the Indian Student Association has been moved to May 2. The Board voted unanimously to allow this event to keep its funding regardless of the date change. Joan Day and Evan Hyatt will hold a Fort Fund Information meeting Monday, May 18 at 5:30 p.m. in the Columbine Room of the Lincoln Center to assist organizations that plan on applying for Fort Fund grants at the June 24 funding session. IX. Committee Reports - Lincoln Center Board - The Board will meet May 14 to discuss the site selection process for the new performing arts center. Arts Council - No report. Museum - No report. Convention & Visitors Bureau - At the Bureau's last Board meeting concern was brought up over events not being fully funded through Fort Fund. Full funding is not possible many times due to the large number of events applying and the limited amount of funding available. Art in Public Places - No report. City/CSU Feasibility Study - No report X. Other Business - A tour of the Lincoln Center will be arranged at a future meeting. One of the Agenda Items for the May 27, 1998 meeting will be to discuss further steps relating to the Board's retreat of Nov. 1, 1997. XI. Adjournment (7:31 p.m.) Moved - Joan Day Second - Bruce Hendee passed unanimously Respectfully su itted, van H ?t Publicity Coordinator and Recreational Lincoln Center City of Fort Collins CULTURAL RESOURCES BOARD LINCOLN CENTER REPORT MAY 21, 1998 ADMINISTRATION: Construction of the renovation of the box office is underway. The temporary box office will be located in the south lobby entrance area. Renovation is scheduled to be completed by the end of summer. Lincoln Center's 20th anniversary is next year (1998-99 season). Bob Coonts has designed a logo for the 20'h anniversary which will be used in all advertising, In addition First National Bank has agreed to underwrite costs for banners which will be located inside the building along with some outside banners. The annual Lincoln Center volunteer recognition reception will be held on June 1 Vh in the Canyon West room at the Lincoln Center. PROGRAMMING: The Lou Rawls concert which was the final concert on the Showstopper Series was cancelled. Mr. Rawls had a medical problem and had to cancel the performances. New dates couldn't be worked out and so refunds will be sent to all ticket holders. This is the first time in the history of the Showstopper Series that we have had to cancel a performance without a replacement. VISUAL ARTS: Lincoln Center gallery exhibits: Intimate Gallery -"Works on Paper" — Mercedes Nunez, Cynthia Harper, Nicholas Brown Lobby Gallery — John Bonath, Michael Drejza Walkway Gallery — Sandra Bierman, Max Krimmel 417 `Nest Magnolia • Fort Collins, CO 80521-2646 • (970) 221-6735 • FAX (970) 484-0424 City of Fort Collins and Recreational Fort Collins Museum CULTURAL RESOURCES BOARD FORT COLLINS MUSEUM REPORT May 27, 1998 STAFF The Fort Collins Museum welcomed Jill Gardner Stilwell as the new Museum Director. Over 40 people applied for the position and Jill was selected from five finalists. She officially accepted the position on April 29th and began serving in that capacity on May 4th. The Museum staff selected Curt Lyons as the Museum's summer intern. Curt has participated in numerous Museum activities including Ties to the Land and the recent Festival of Fibers. Curt will be working with John Carr on designing and installing two summer exhibitions. EXHIBITS Ties to the Land continues to be a success. It will continue throughout the summer months. The Prairie Schoolhouse: Photographs by John Martin Campbell. Coming to the Fort Collins Museum from the Smithsonian Institution, this exhibit enhances our popular Boxelder Schoolhouse Program with black and white photographs of one room schoolhouses throughout the West. PROGRAMS All sessions for the Boxelder Schoolhouse Summer Program are full with the first session beginning on June 8th. Over the course of the summer, the program will accommodate 161 students. As school winds down, our school tours are skyrocketing. The Museum has hosted 375 elementary age children thus far in May and 590 more are expected before school ends in June. Skookum Day plans are well underway for July I Ith. This year a Victorian ladies fashion show, square dancers, and horseshoe pitching add to the festivities plus birthday cake will be served to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the incorporation of the city of Fort Collins. In conjunction with the National Association for Interpretation's annual conference the Museum will host docent guided tours and a coffee and desert table on the evening of June 4th. This association provides support for Interpreters and Educators in various fields, including the museum profession. Over 100 Interpreters from around the country are expected to attend. 1_6 1181.7OLVO[.T' IN, Through the summer the Museum Shop will feature items related to the Boxelder Schoolhouse Program and the exhibit The Prairie Schoolhouse. Items include children's old fashion bonnets, McGuffey Readers, and the Boxelder Schoolhouse Birdhouses. The Shop is also planning to produce post cards of the Worthington Whittredge painting, Colorado: On the Cache La Poudre River, and the cabins in the courtyard. 200 Mathews Street • Fort Collins, CO 80524 • (970) 221-6738 Lincoln Center Citv of Fort Collins May 5, 1998 and Recreational Dear Mayor Azari and Members of City Council: The Cultural Resources Board has voted unanimously to recommend only one site for the future City of Fort Collins new Performing Arts Center. We would like to explain the reasoning behind this decision. We have conducted a comprehensive assessment of the five proposed sites, including working with the Lincoln Center Board to develop criteria for ranking sites, conducting individual interviews with members of 16 local arts groups and community organizations, gathering feedback from the community at a recent Open House, and meeting with representatives of the Old Fort Collins High School (FCHS) Neighborhood Association. Documentation of these events and our ranking criteria are attached. Based on all of these processes, the wholehearted and unanimous recommendation of the Cultural Resources Board is that the new Performing Arts Center should be located in the Downtown area, at a specific site yet to be determined. After evaluating the 5 proposed sites, we have come to the conclusion that the opportunity to enhance community benefits is much stronger downtown. 1. Patrons can conveniently avail themselves of services such as dining, shopping, etc., thereby creating both an enhanced experience, and increased economic benefit to the community. 2. The downtown area already provides an established arts presence because of the Lincoln Center, numerous galleries, Bas Bleu Theatre, etc. 3. A downtown site offers more flexibility for building design than with an existing historic building, such as old FCHS. 4. Parking options in the downtown already exist, and the fixture Justice Center parking structure will be a big asset in accommodating evening parking needs of the new Performing Arts Center. 5. A downtown location could play a critical role in the ongoing revitalization of the downtown area. A strong downtown is crucial for the arts and tourism. 6. A downtown site offers more opportunities to incorporate the Poudre River into the fabric of the City. 7. Increased opportunities exist for cross promotion/marketing with downtown businesses, thus resulting in greater economic impact. 8. A majority of local arts groups want City facilities to be separate from Colorado State University, fearing loss of cultural identity in ajoint facility. 9. Community will realize more long term economic benefits if the facility is downtown. 10. All 5 proposed sites have the potential for outside noise pollution, but the facility can be designed acoustically to mask noise. 11. Private fundraising may be more difficult with a downtown site; however, the Lincoln Center Board members still believe that $6 Million is a realistic target amount with a downtown site. Fort Cc lies, CO 0521-2646 • ;970) =-6735 • FAX (970) 484-0424 0 In contrast, ajoint facility with CSU located at the old FCHS presents some operational, practical and philosophical challenges that led to our decision not to recommend this course of action. We acknowledge the attractiveness of a joint project with the university, as well as the financial advantages of joint fundraising to cover construction costs. However, we feel that the long term financial benefits to the community would be maximized if cultural activities were located in the midst of other complementary businesses and services. The following other reasons also persuaded the Board not to recommend the FCHS option: 1. The traffic congestion and parking burden would be formidable in a residential neighborhood. Additionally, there exists substantial neighborhood opposition to locating a major facility at the old FCHS. 2. Both the quality of performance space and the opportunity for fixture growth are much more limited at the historic old FCHS. 3. Important differences and conflicts in constructing and running an educational facility as compared with a commercial facility, including design and scheduling, were brought to our attention. Logistical and authority problems are likely with two facilities of different character operating at the same place at the same time. 4. Last but not least, there was concern for the sense of cultural identity for the community, as opposed to the cultural identity of CSU. Many we spoke with said that a City facility located at old FCHS would be perceived as a CSU facility, not a City facility, and therefore lack the professional caliber profile many would like to see. We also closely evaluated the possibility of locating the larger 2200 seat performance hall downtown and the smaller 350 theater at the old FCHS location. Initially, this option seemed attractive, but upon closer review we do not recommend this strategy. The following issues should preclude the City from pursuing this option: 1. Most of the local arts groups prefer that the 350 seat theater be located downtown with the larger hall. The local groups would be the main users of the 350 seat theater and the old FCHS site would be contrary to their recommendations. 2. Many local arts groups fear they would lose their public perception of legitimacy and professionalism if the theater they use is located at CSU. They fear the public will perceive that their productions are CSU sponsored events, not put on by local professional artists. 3. The two new city facilities should be located together for ease of administration and equipment usage. if the two new theaters were split, the City would own and operate performing spaces in three locations, including the Lincoln Center. 4. It is generally perceived that scheduling and overall operations for the 350 seat theater will be difficult if it is located at the old Fort Collins High School. We agree that there should be some level of long term cooperation and collaboration between the University and the City regarding the promotion of the arts. Promoting the overall arts community will surely benefit both the City and CSU. We suggest that the two groups investigate the many options for joint endeavors. One example of such a cooperative effort is the regional American College Dance Festival to be hosted by the University next March. The Lincoln Center Dance Series performance of the Hubbard Street Dancers will be the kick-off event for the festival. There are many other such opportunities for joint ventures between the two entities. In our final site selection recommendation, it initially seemed that the financial consideration would outweigh other issues, but the more we investigated the entire range of issues, the less attractive the old FCHS site became. At our joint session with the Lincoln Center Board, the downtown facility received more than twice as many criteria ranking points as the CSU facility option. The Lincoln/Lemay and the College/Vine options did not appeal to us for logistical reasons. Both are too far from the downtown • 0 core. It is not a close call for us. Although we do strongly support the idea of collaboration with CSU in the arts, we feel that this collaboration is more appropriate in programming and internships than in facility construction. We can envision joint fundraising opportunities within these categories. The new Performing Arts Center needs to be thought of as the cultural heart of the community. It is this facility that will form the basis for the future of arts in Fort Collins. The Civic Center Master plan that was formed a couple of years ago was a broad -based community endeavor that established a vision for Fort Collins. The vision that evolved preserved the core area as the major focus of civic identity for the City. The term Civic Center further implied a specific set of amenities that would reinforce the cultural and civic fabric of the City based on the redevelopment of its core area. Just as the Larimer Justice Center and the new City facilities provide an important component of civic identity, the Performing Arts Center serves to anchor culture and sense of place. Clearly, in our opinion, the possibilities for synergy with the rest of the Civic Center and downtown are tremendous. The dynamic interaction of City facilities, restaurants, transportation, pedestrian traffic, and community attractions all form an undeniable mix that, taken together form the basis of long term economic and cultural robustness that will ensure that downtown remains as the core of Fort Collins. In view of the information and opinions we have gathered, we unanimously recommend a downtown site for the new Performing Arts Center. Sincerely, ccd(� Jennifer Sterling Beccard n Joan Day Corinne Gov J J4LU.LC i�cCL( Bruce Hendee L; en Hooper V Fran Johnson Brenda Martin