Chatham Cultural Centre Master Plan

The Corporation of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent
Chatham Cultural Centre Master Plan
TCI Management Consultants

May 2009
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Importance of Investment in Cultural Infrastructure...................... 1 Executive Summary ......................................................................................................... 5 1. Demographic and Economic Profile of Chatham-Kent ........................................ 14 2. Profile of the CCC..................................................................................................... 19 2.1 Origins of the CCC ........................................................................................... 19 2.2 Venues & Programming ................................................................................... 20 2.3 CCC Mission Statement ................................................................................... 22 2.4 Operations & Management .............................................................................. 23 2.5 Membership ...................................................................................................... 25 2.6 Budget................................................................................................................. 26 2.7 Utilization ............................................................................................................ 27 2.8 Joint Marketing................................................................................................... 28 3. Background, Purpose and Objectives of this Master Plan................................... 30 4. Activities Undertaken in the Development of this Master Plan............................ 32 4.1 Interviews ........................................................................................................... 32 4.2 Focus Groups / Public Meetings ..................................................................... 32 4.3 Community Survey ........................................................................................... 32 4.4 Benchmarking / Comparators ......................................................................... 33 4.5 Physical Review of Facility ............................................................................... 33 5. Common Themes Emerging from the Research: SWOT and Situation Analysis .................................................................................. 34 5.1 SWOT Assessment ............................................................................................ 34 5.2 Situation Analysis: Major Themes and Issues ................................................ 36 5.3 Implications of Major Issues and Themes ...................................................... 37
6. Caveats and Cautions on this Project ..................................................................... 40 7. Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives of the CCC .............................................. 43 7.1 Vision and Mission ............................................................................................ 43 7.2 Goal and Objectives ......................................................................................... 45 8. Key Action Areas and Recommendations .............................................................. 47 8.1 Physical Configuration of Space ...................................................................... 47 8.2 Programming ..................................................................................................... 63 8.3 Collections and Acquisitions ............................................................................ 67 8.4 Branding and Marketing................................................................................... 67 8.5 Community Outreach ....................................................................................... 79 8.6 Cultural Tourism................................................................................................ 80 8.7 Organization and Governance ........................................................................ 81 8.8 Resources: Funding .......................................................................................... 82 8.9 Resources: Staffing and Volunteers ................................................................ 84 8.10Resources: Technology .................................................................................... 85 8.11Resources: Partnerships ................................................................................... 86 8.12Responsibilities of arts and culture organizations and individuals ............. 87 9. Five-Year Operating Costs and Revenue Forecast .............................................. 90 9.1 Underlying Assumptions .................................................................................. 90 9.2 Revenue and Expense Projections.................................................................. 92 9.3. Ways and Means to Take Care of Operating Deficit .................................... 93 10. Return on Investment to Community ...................................................................... 94 11. Roles and Responsibilities ....................................................................................... 98 12. Resource Requirements........................................................................................... 99 13. Communications and Awareness Building..........................................................100 13.1Communications Goals ..................................................................................101 13.2Target Audiences ............................................................................................101 13.3 Messages/Themes .........................................................................................102 13.4The Communications Campaign...................................................................103 14. Accountability..........................................................................................................107
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APPENDICES.................................................................................................................109 Appendix A: List of Documents Reviewed ................................................................115 Appendix B: Benchmarking Spending on Culture and Recreation in Chatham-Kent .................................................................116 Appendix C: Benchmarking Other Museum and Art Galleries ..............................119
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Introduction
The Importance of Investment in Cultural Infrastructure
As consultants to communities across Ontario and beyond, we believe strongly in the need for municipalities to invest in their cultural infrastructure in order build the sort of places in which individuals and families choose to live. Arts and cultural facilities are every bit as important as parks and arenas in creating a strong and sustained quality of place for residents and visitors. Moreover, the creation of facilities, and support of programs, in the arts and culture sector should be regarded as an investment in the community, having both tangible and intangible benefits. Seven Principles Below are seven principles that articulate our beliefs about the importance of arts and culture and the ways in which municipal governments should provide cultural services for these needs of their residents. These principles have provided the philosophical grounding for our work on this project. They are: 1. Every one has the poten tial to be a crea tive indi vidua l: Following from the extensive work of Charles Landry1 and others, we believe that everyone has within them a creative potential (and beyond that, a fundamental need and desire to express that creative potential). Arts and culture activities in communities should be an important and accessible outlet for this creative urge. 2. Muni cipal ities (as well as othe r leve ls of gover nmen t) have a responsi bilit y to devel op arts and cult ure ameni ties for thei r resid ents : It follows from the foregoing that healthy communities concerned with providing for the full range of needs of their residents will provide a range of
See Charles Landry, The Creative City A Toolkit for Urban Innovators, Earthscan, 2000.
opportunities for engagement in arts, culture and creative opportunities, for persons of all ages and backgrounds2. 3. Inve stmen t in arts and cult ure is an econo mic deve lopment strat egy: Beyond providing for the essential needs of residents, investment in arts and culture is an economic development strategy for communities. The work of Richard Florida3 and others has amply shown that communities with a high quality of life of which arts and culture opportunities are an essential component attract the Creative Class, who in turn invest in businesses, create jobs and contribute in myriad other ways to the health and vitality of the community. 4. Now is the time: Especially in a time of economic downturn, there is a natural tendency for decision-makers to regard investment in arts and culture as an inessential frill, something that can easily be deferred in favour of meeting more immediate and urgent needs. We hold the opposite view. During an economic downturn there is a greater-than-ever need to provide opportunities for meaningful engagement for individuals, as well as to demonstrate a belief in the future of the community overall. As well, from a purely practical point of view, if monies are to be spent on public infrastructure, recessionary conditions generally offer cost savings in both capital and labour. As such, infrastructure investments can spur the creation of new jobs. 5. The dual natu re of the lead ershi p role of the muni cipal ity : We see the role of the municipality in the development of the arts and cultural life of the community as being twofold: first, it is to demonstrate leadership in consultation and policy development through assessing what the community is saying it wants and needs by way of arts and cultural facilities and services. (This is leadership in the sense that Charles Block sees it: creating the conditions for, and convening, a conversation with the community to identify what is needed4.) The second role is then to respond: to provide facilities, programs, services, etc., in accord with community needs, tempered by the wisdom of municipal staff and elected officials in terms of what is affordable and reasonable at the time. 6. The community creat es its own arts and cultu re: Notwithstanding the municipalitys essential role as a provider of key arts and culture facilities and
2 3 4 Charles Landry, The Art of City Making, Earthscan, 2006. See, for example, Floridas The Rise of the Creative Class (Basic Books, 2002) and Whos Your City? (Random House, 2008). See Charles Block, Community The Structure of Belonging, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008.
services, ultimately it is community-based organizations and individuals that create the culture of a community; municipalities are enlightened enablers. Accordingly, municipalities must keep their ear to the ground and ensure that new and innovative organizations that reflect areas of emerging need in the community are nurtured, and given a chance to grow and flourish. 7. Acco unta bilit y is criti cal: Any plan for investment in municipal infrastructure and services must monitor and evaluate progress, and demonstrate the return on investment of the funding and staff time expended. In this regard, one very useful framework that we advocate is the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework that examines benefits in a multidisciplinary context considering social, economic and environmental benefits5. Concepts of Creativity There are several key terms that are commonly heard in contemporary discourse on culture and creativity in a municipal context. Foremost among these terms are creative class, creative economy, and creative city. Here is a brief overview of each: In our knowledge-based economy, innovation and creativity is driving the development of new products, new services, new businesses, and new jobs. A new class of entrepreneurial workers coined the crea tive class by economics guru Richard Florida is now powering the economic growth of North Americas cities. The defining characteristic of the creative class is that its members work with ideas. They also tend to be highly educated, self-motivated, and entrepreneurial. Often, although not exclusively, they are young. Creative class workers include academics, medical professionals, financial analysts, high-tech workers, and those who are employed in the cultural sector: writers, filmmakers, actors and artists. This group has grown tremendously in the last century, from 10% of the working population in 1900 to over 30% today. (In fact, according to Florida, there are more members today of the Creative Class than there are traditional blue collar workers.) The crea tive econo my refers to the various economic sectors that draw in large part upon the energies and talents of the creative class. These economic sectors include private sector enterprises involved with the creation of new products and services: advertising agencies, new media and software development, engineers
5 See Andrew Savitz, The Trip le Bottom Line, Jossey-Bass, 2006.
and architects, and commercial art galleries. However, the creative economy also embraces non-profit cultural sector: arts and heritage organizations, museums, theatres, festivals, public art galleries, and arts education. Finally, there is the concept of the crea tive city , which reflects both an intentional stance as well as an outcome. The intentional stance occurs when a city strives to operate according to the seven principles outlined earlier and thus provide for the cultural and creative needs of its residents. The outcome is that the municipality attracts and develops its creative class and its creative economy sectors. ********************************************************************* To bring these ideas home to this project for the Chatham Cultural Centre, we believe that investment in the CCC (along the line of the seven principles as articulated above) can help to position the Municipality of Chatham-Kent as a creative city, and make it an even more desirable community for residents to live in, as well as a more interesting destination for visitors to seek out.
Executive Summary
The key findings and conclusions resulting from this study are as follows: 1. Visi on for Chath am Cultu ral Cent re (CCC) : Each of the three facilities comprising the CCC (Thames Art Gallery, Kiwanis Theatre, Chatham-Kent Museum) serve a critical community function for a municipality the size of Chatham-Kent (C-K). The Chatham-Kent Museum (C-KM) is the official municipal museum, the Thames Art Gallery (TAG) is the only public art gallery, and the Kiwanis Theatre (KT) is the community theatre. (And this position will be reinforced when the Capitol Theatre comes on-stream.) Recognizing the essential nature of these functions, the recommended Vision for the CCC is: To be a provider of a range of Municipal cultural opportunities and services in southwestern Ontario, known for: (a) offering a variety of events and programs that appeal to residents and visitors alike, and (b) positioning Chatham-Kent as recognized centre for arts and culture.
Reference Section 7.1
2. Goal s and Objec tives : Specific goals and (measurable) objectives for the Master Plan for the CCC are recommended as outlined below: Area
A. Facilities
Recommended Goal 1. All functional entities within the CCC have adequate physical facilities to enable them to carry out their individual mandates
Recommended Objectives space increases for the TAG space increase for the C-KM reconfiguration of space for the KT embark upon fundraising campaign to raise funds for the foregoing
2. increased collaboration between the CCC entities themselves (where appropriate and optimal for all parties), and between the CCC and other cultural organizations in C-K 3. retain physical proximity to one another, either in the same building or within a cultural precinct 4. increased outreach activities by all CCC entities, so that the community benefits are recognized throughout the municipality
B. Collaboration
increase joint programming and marketing between CCC entities increase collaboration between CCC and other cultural entities throughout C-K improve internal communications and management
D. User Services
5. improve the physical access and usability of the common areas and spaces within the CCC facility
6. ensure a higher level of awareness of CCC and the various programs and opportunities available
E. Marketing
investigate longer-term feasibility of establishing ARTspace-like venues in other communities continue to play a leading role in the coordinating the activities of the heritage network throughout ChathamKent c) actively promote the availability of the Kiwanis Theatre to community groups outside Chatham and seeks ways and means of encouraging greater participation improve access, common areas and public areas within CCC complex harmonize hours of operation with public need ensure appropriate levels of staffing to develop and deliver programs as well as respond to general visitor or user need develop and implement marketing plan (along the lines discussed in this document) ensure that CCC is promoted, when appropriate (based upon programs and services on at any particular point in time), as a tourism attraction ensure that CCC is an element in the economic development publicity materials of the Municipality, to emphasize that C-K is a progressive community with a high quality of life
3. Expansion Needs: All three operating units of the CCC (the Thames Art Gallery, Kiwanis Theatre, Chatham-Kent Museum) are in need of expansion and/or renovation in order to continue to respond to the growing and evolving needs of the community. Staff has worked for years in sub-optimal and undersized conditions. The broad parameters of this required expansion are:
C. Outreach
Function Kiwanis Theatre Chatham-Kent Museum Thames Art Gallery Common Areas Total
Current Space (sq. ft.) 8,660 4,730 5,500 740 19,630
Required Space (sq. ft.) 13,934 10,940 9,750 4,530 39,154
% Increase 61% 131% 77% 512% 99%

Reference Section 8.1.1
4. Three Development Scenarios: Three scenarios were explored in terms of how to accommodate the space needs identified above. These scenarios and their estimated capital costs were: Function A. Maximum Space Option Underlying Philosophy Estimated Capital Cost ($ millions) $11.826
all three functions (gallery, museum, theatre) remain on-site expansion needs of all three are accommodated, with each having its own workshop space, and public areas B. Minimum Space Option all three functions (gallery, museum, theatre) remain on-site critical expansion needs of all three are (e.g. storage space, gallery space, workshop space) accommodated, but maximum sharing of programming and public areas C. Relocation Option either the gallery or the museum relocates out of the CCC, into a location not too far from the cultural precinct remaining functions expand to fill vacated space within CCC specific scenario (for illustrative costing purposes) assumed to be museum moving into Court House building
$10.204
$13.476 (includes estimated cost of space renovation to accommodate relocated facility)
Reference Section 8.1.2
5. Collections and Acquisitions: Once the workshop and storage needs of the Chatham-Kent Museum and the Thames Art Gallery have been accommodated through the development of a new facility, the two institutions can begin again to grow their respective collections. Since there will be some measure of pent-up demand both institutions should review their collections policies in light of their mandates, and ensure that these are articulated, published (e.g. on the web site) and make known to prospective donors.
6. Programming: Complementary Operations between Kiwanis and Capitol Theatres: It is imperative that, once the Capitol Theatre is operational, a 7
coordinated and complementary business model and marketing plan be developed. This should recognize the role of the KT as the affordable, smallscale community theatre whose objective is to serve the performing arts needs of the community (unlike the Capitol, which is to present larger touring productions to the community, and generate a profit doing so).
7. Progr ammi ng: Shar ed Functi ons Betwe en Kiwan is and Capit ol Theat res : There are several functions that could and should be shared between the KT and the Capitol Theatre. These are 1) box office and ticket sales; 2) programming coordination; 3) marketing (to some extent); and 4) technical and crew services (e.g. set construction, teardown, etc.). A MOU should be developed between the two operations when the Capitol is operational in order to ensure that these functions perform optimally.
8. Prog rammi ng: Adjus ted Hours of Oper ation : At present, hours of operation are 1 to 5, 7 days a week for TAG and C-KM. KT is open for scheduled performances only. The box office is open 9 to 5 Monday through Friday. There is some interest in the community for some evening hours. CCC should pilot test some alternative hours to optimally meet community demand (e.g. open the TAG and C-KM on Thursday or Friday evenings, try packages with restaurants for these evening hours, remain open up until curtain time on performance evenings at KT, etc.). Also, other times (e.g. Saturday mornings) should be tried as well. The box office should be open 11am to 6pm Tuesday to Saturday and two hours prior to all performances.
9. Mark etin g and Bran ding: Each operating unit of the CCC (i.e. the Theatre, Museum and Gallery) should strive to attain its own marketing goals within the context of the Citys overall market positioning. Specific elements of the recommended marketing stance are: Each venue supe rsedes the CCC - the marketing of events and activities at each of the units should take precedence over the marketing of the CCC as a destination moreover, the operating units should promote the experience that each will provide its patrons rather than focusing on selling the facility - no over-all or separate branding strategy should be developed for the CCC itself
Each venue purs ues its own targ et marke ts - it follows from the above that each operating unit should pursue the target groups that best serve its particular goals rather than trying to force-fit disinterested target groups into its marketing scheme - this will be reflected in scheduling of messages, the tone and content of messages, and the frequency and repetition of contacts. Prin t and emai l conti nues as most used media - given the severely limited allocations for marketing, email and low volume print will very likely continue to be the main media used (not necessarily because of efficiency but because that is all that can be afforded) - it behooves the CCC to look for further earned media opportunities (i.e. public relations) and an increased and better qualified contact list Limi ted joint marke ting - except in special circumstances such as Black History Month, at which time the three operating units may wish to coordinate their events, the operating units should direct their marketing to best serve their own goals. Need for comp rehen sive cultu ral marke ting stra tegy - overall the Municipality should develop a more detailed and comprehensive marketing strategy for its complete portfolio of cultural assets in order to establish a more appropriate allocation of resources. CCC name chang e - as a signal of the fact that the CCC serves the entire municipality, the name of the CCC should be changed to the ChathamKent Cultural Centre or simply The Cultural Centre. Our preference would be for the former, as it would then officially incorporate the entire name of the municipality.
10. Museu m as Coor dinat or of Munic ipal-Wide Museu m / Herit age Netwo rk: The C-K Museum can play a natural role as the coordinator of the network of smaller museums throughout the Municipality. To some extent this is already happening. This role should be enhanced with (say) meetings once or twice a year to discuss matters of mutual concern. Once operational, the Armoury should be included in this network.
11. Art Gall ery Outr each: TAG is already reaching out to the broader community through ARTspace on King St., downtown. This is an excellent way to be relevant to local artists and position the Art Gallery as a vibrant and going community concern. In the longer term (likely beyond the timeframe of this plan) the feasibility of establishing similar venues in other communities
throughout the Municipality should be considered, recognizing that this will require additional staff and volunteer resources.
12. Cult ural Tour ism: The recent report on cultural tourism, Buil ding Capac ity, Real izin g Oppo rtuni ties, outlined a series of recommendations that, when implemented, could significantly enhance the extent to which the CCC can and will be successful. We recommend that these be considered carefully during the implementation of this master plan.
13. Stro nger Manag ement Coor dinat ion Neede d: There needs to be stronger coordination overall of the operations of the CCC to ensure a management structure that recognizes the potential synergies of the CCC within the larger municipal context. As well, a larger facility such as is envisaged here will require a greater management effort. This should be reflected in a revised position description for the management and coordination of the facility overall. Responsibility for special events should be de-coupled from the management of CCC. Also, although it is perhaps outside the scope of the work defined for this Master Plan, we recommend that, in assessing the CCC vis--vis the Municipalitys overall cultural development, Chatham-Kent consider establishing a management position responsible for directing the full range of the Municipalitys involvement in arts, heritage, and culture. As well, greater coordination of the operations of the CCC, and possibilities for joint programming should be exploited. A Coordinating Committee should be struck (comprised of representatives of the advisory boards of TAG, C-KM, KT) for this purpose, and regular (minimally quarterly) meetings held.
14. Broa den Advi sory Board Repre sent ation : As a visible signal to the entire Municipality, the representation of all three Advisory Boards (for TAG, C-KM, KT) should be broadened to specifically include representation from the other communities throughout the Region.
15. Fund raisi ng: We recommend that the CCC undertake a fundraising audit to: (a) determine the range of potential significant funding opportunities that exist (and here we are thinking of major fundraising strategies like foundation support or the sale of naming rights as opposed to bake sales and bingos), and (b) determine how staff and volunteer resources might be deployed to realize
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funding opportunities. Further, we recommend that the Municipality consider the possibility of a new CCC staff resource dedicated to maximizing the CCCs fundraising revenues. Finally, we also recommend that due consideration be given to redrafting the terms of reference for the CCCs volunteer committees such that each committee would be charged with helping the CCC to fundraise.
16. Staf fing: An additional 2 full-time and 4 part-time positions are recommended, in order to deliver the expanded CCC operations. These will include a fulltime marketing position devoted to marketing and fundraising, a full time box office supervisor, and four part-time positions: two for the expanded maintenance functions that will be required for the larger facility, one to increase the Curatorial Assistant position from part-time to full-time, and one for the expanded box office functions. (In addition we discuss in the Report the desirability of the Municipality establishing a Cultural Development Office and hiring a manager for this position; however as this does not relate directly to the CCC [in terms of a position dedicated to the operation of the CCC] we have not costed this out separately.)
17. Part nersh ips: Given the small amount available for marketing, partnerships provide an important opportunity to extend CCCs resources. To drive traffic and/or generate complementary sales, we recommend that the CCC move to a greater emphasis on developing co-op advertising, joint marketing campaigns, and complementary programming with partners rather than going it alone. This partnering orientation should also extend to - media and production volume purchasing agreements and joint distribution agreements. The CCC should review its volunteer recruitment, retention, and recognition programme to ensure that it suits the needs of the volunteers, the units, and the organization itself.
18. Expa nded Membe rship : CCC membership should be expanded to include all other related municipal facilities (e.g. Ridge House Museum) so it is clear that there are benefits across the municipality.
19. Enco urag e Volun teer Conn ectio ns Betwe en the Thre e Enti ties: Without changing individual volunteer affiliations, consider creating an overall CCC
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Volunteer category, to encourage a feeling of connection and synergy between members. Coordinated training might be facilitated or encouraged. Also there could be crossover opportunities for those volunteers so wishing, so they could become involved in all three entities.
20. Budg et Impli cati ons: A comparison between the current and future budget of the CCC (in a typical year of operation, and assuming Scenario B as articulated above) is shown below: Current (2009 budget) Situation $343,941 $1,390,160 $1,046,219 Future Operation (Year 5 of operation) $432,433 $1,738,326 $1,305,893 Difference - $ + $88,492 + $348,166 + $259,674 Difference - % + 26% + 25% + 25%
Total Revenues Total Costs Net Financial Position
Regarding this increased cost it should be noted that a comparison of Chatham-Kent with its standard benchmark communities suggests that there may be some justification for the municipality to increase its financial support of the arts in order to be on a par with its peers.
Reference Section 9; Appendix B
21. Comm unity Retur n on Inve stmen t: The primary reason a community invests in a facility such as the Chatham Cultural Centre is to provide opportunities for its citizens in terms of access to cultural activities and learning experiences, volunteer engagement, enhancement of civic pride, etc. There are, though, in addition to this, economic benefits such as some increase in tourism, a catalytic effect upon development, creation of a desirable community in which to live and invest, etc.
Reference Section 10
22. Eval uatio n Fram ewor k: An evaluation framework should be developed for the CCC, measuring social and economic benefit to the community, and reporting on environmental responsibility (the so-called Triple Bottom Line framework.) This should form the basis of an annual report to Council as well as the general public.
Reference Section 15
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PART A. SITUATION ANALYSIS
1. Demographic and Economic Profile of Chatham-Kent 2. Profile of the CCC 3. Background, Purpose and Objectives of this Master Plan 4. Activities Undertaken in the Development of this Master Plan 5. Common Themes Emerging from the Research: SWOT and Situation Analysis 6. Caveats and Cautions on this Project
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Section 1
Demographic and Economic Profile of Chatham-Kent
The table below outlines some of the key demographic and economic dimensions of Chatham-Kent, relative to the Province of Ontario overall. This information, the most recent available, is from the 2006 Census of Canada. The most significant differences between the Municipality and the province are highlighted in yellow on the chart. Municipality of Chatham-Kent 108,177 107,341 0.8% 43,562 3,052 46,614 6.5% 44 19.8% 15.9% 41.2 $63,338 10.1% Province of Ontario 12,160,282 11,410,046 6.6% 4,554,251 418,618 4,972,869 8.4% 13 18.3% 13.4% 39.0 $69,156 28.3% 20.4% 22.8% 10.3% 18.6% 7.0% 5.3% 8.4% 3.1% 14
Population, 2006 Population, 2001 Population growth , 2001 - 2006 Permanent Households Seasonal Households Total Households % of seasonal households Population density (persons per sq. km.) % of population under age 20 % of population over age 65 Median age of the population Median household income, 2005 % of population immigrants % of adult population (aged 15+) with university 8.8% certificate, diploma or degree % visible minority population 4.3% Occupational Structure (% of labour force, age 15+, working in the following occupations) A) Management occupations 7.4% B) Business, finance and administration 15.5% C) Natural and applied sciences 3.7% D) Health occupations 5.4% E) Social science, education, government service, religion 6.3% F) Art, culture, recreation or sport 1.5%
G) Sales and service occupations 22.7% H) Trades, transport and equipment operators 16.7% I) Occupations unique to primary industry 7.4% J) Processing, manufacturing and utilities 13.4% Industry Structure (% of labour force, age 15+, working in the following industries) Agricultural industry 9.0% Construction 4.9% Manufacturing 20.8% Wholesale trade 4.0% Retail trade 11.7% Finance and real estate 3.6% Health care and social sciences 9.4% Educational services 5.1% Business services 14.6% Other services 17.0% As the chart shows, the most significant differences are:
23.5% 14.1% 2.5% 7.2% 2.9% 2.9% 13.9% 4.7% 11.1% 6.8% 9.4% 6.7% 19.7% 18.7%
Much slower population growth, essentially static A lower proportion of seasonal population (meaning that aside from tourism, the population does not swell in size significantly during the summer season) A somewhat older age structure than the province generally (as shown by a larger proportion of population age 65 or over, and a higher median age) Average household income about 10% lower than the provincial average A much lower proportion of the population who report being immigrants to Canada (about a third the proportion of the province overall), with much lower visible minority levels Significantly lower educational levels than the province overall An economic base that is heavily dependent upon agriculture, construction, and manufacturing (together these sectors constitute just over one-third of Chatham Kents economy, compared to just under one-fifth for the province overall) An occupational structure of the community that is skewed towards primary industry, processing and manufacturing (to a much higher extent than the provincial profile overall) and with lower concentrations in management; natural and applied sciences; business and administration; and social science, education, government service, and religion
This profile is cause for some concern, given the communitys reliance on manufacturing which has been experiencing significant restructuring as well as 15
the economic transition that has been occurring over that last decade, the urgency of which has been only underscored by the global economic crisis that was triggered by the collapse of major US financial institutions in the fall of 2008. Recognizing these prevailing trends, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in the last couple of years has been actively engaged in updating its economic development strategy and tourism to ensure that it is able to maintain competitive positioning and achieve a more diversified economy. 1.1 Geographical Situation Another contextual factor relates to Chatham-Kents current situation as a municipality and recent history. The current municipality was formed in 1998 as an amalgamation of 22 separate municipalities throughout the former County of Kent. The result was Canadas 35th largest community in terms of population size, and Ontarios largest in terms of geographical area. As a result, the municipality faces the twin challenges of providing services across the length and breadth of its area, as well as continuing resentment of outlying rural communities regarding their loss of identity and right to self-determination. Location of Municipality of Chatham-Kent within the Great Lakes Region
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Location of Municipality of Chatham-Kent within southern Ontario
Internal Structure of Chatham-Kent
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The former City of Chatham is the largest and most central urban entity in the Municipality (with a population of just over 40,000, just over a third of the total), followed by Wallaceburg (12,000, about 11%), Blenheim (5,000, about 4.5%), Tilbury (4,000, about 4%), Ridgetown (3,500 or 3%), Dresden (2,700, about 2.5%), Wheatly (2,000, just under 2%), and Bothwell and Thamesville, both with about 1,000 population. Clearly Chatham is the dominant urban centre.
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Section 2
Profile of the CCC
2.1
Origins of the CCC
The original building started out as the home of Chathams Mayor, William Northwood (1879). Since that time, the building has been a mineral bath (from springs under the property), the Hotel Sanita, the Chatham Vocational School and now the Chatham Cultural Centre. The housing of an art gallery, museum and theatre in one facility is relatively rare in most communities. The Chatham Cultural Centre traces its origins to a group of concerned citizens who in 1963 purchased the abandoned Chatham Vocational School for $37,500 to start an arts centre. In 1969, the Thames Theatre Association for the Arts was actively presenting live performances in the 700-seat school theatre, while the old gymnasium was being used as a gallery. A community fundraising campaign led to major renovations in 1975, at which time the Thames Art Gallery received federal designation as a National Exhibition Centre. In 1980, the City of Chatham assumed financial responsibility for the Thames Art Centre. Needing additional space, in 1988, the Chatham-Kent Museum relocated to the Chatham Cultural Centre from Milner Heritage House. In 1998, the amalgamated Municipality of Chatham-Kent assumed ownership and operations of the entire Chatham Cultural Centre. The property is designated under Ontarios Heritage Properties database. The Chatham Cultural Centre therefore functions as the main umbrella cultural organization for the municipality and includes the following functional elements: facilities management and coordination, joint marketing, special events and box office operations. Each of the Gallery, Museum and Theatre is a non-profit corporation that has its own management structure and staff who are municipal employees.
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2.2 Venues & Programming Collectively, the three venues that compose the CCC the Chatham-Kent Museum, the Kiwanis Theatre, and the Thames Art Gallery are responsible for a variety and volume of cultural programming. The following provides an overview of each venue. 2.2. 1 Chath am-Kent Muse um The Chatham-Kent Museum was established in 1943 and is dedicated to preserving the material heritage of Chatham-Kent and to promoting area history through exhibits and programming. Highlights in the collection include artifacts from the War of 1812, a nationally designated Gray Dort automobile, several locally made horse drawn vehicles from Chathams history as a centre for carriage manufacturing, and, of course, the Sulman Mummy (a 2,000 year-old Nubian mummy). The Museum features approximately 2,500 square feet of exhibit space. It is composed of a main floor gallery that houses a semi-permanent exhibit entitled The Essential Chatham-Kent, and a smaller mezzanine gallery that features changing exhibits. It collections - include 12,000 three dimensional objects, over 1,000 natural science specimens, 50,000 photographic images, documents and correspondence, and a substantial art collection including works by celebrated Canadians A.M. Fleming, Hortense Gordon and Mary Abraham. The Museum also has a collection of research and reference material pertaining to local history. The Museum is a municipally owned and operated non-profit community museum, established by municipal by-law, with a mandate to collect, preserve and educate the community with respect to its heritage. The Chatham-Kent Council is the Board of the Museum with ultimate fiduciary and legal responsibility for Museum operations. According to the Museums governance policy, through its administrative framework, the Board can elect to have these responsibilities carried out by other groups (e.g., hiring of Director by municipal HR department, etc.). Further, the Board will delegate the operational task of monitoring the ethical and professional performance of the Museum to an appointed group of citizens called the Chatham-Kent Museum Advisory Committee. Committee members act as volunteers to the municipality. The Committees primary responsibilities are to ensure that the collection is adequately housed, conserved and documented, including ensuring there are sufficient staff to carry out this function.
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The staffing includes a Museum Curator, the Museum Education Coordinator, and a Heritage Coordinator as well as support staff. An organization chart for the CCC and its venues is presented in Section 2.4. All staff in the Museum is non-union with the exception of the Assistant Facility Officer whose time is allocated amongst the various venues (although the salary is allocated to the Kiwanis Theatre). Admission is by donation. The Museum is open Monday to Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm. 2.2. 2 Kiwan is Thea tre The Kiwanis Theatre is a municipally owned, non-profit theatre, committed to providing the citizens of Chatham-Kent with the high quality and professional facilities and programmes at a reasonable price. For over 45 years, the Kiwanis Theatre has been dedicated to providing the very best in the performing arts for the citizens of Chatham-Kent. A proscenium house that hosts 100 to 125 events per year, the Theatre has a playbill that ranges from pop music concerts, to comedy events, to a blues festival, to a film series, to childrens programming, to performances by Theatre Kent, Orchestra London, and touring theatre and opera companies. In addition, a Friday night jazz program takes place in the smaller, flexible-space studio theatre (Studio One), which also serves as a venue for meetings and a variety of other non theatre-related rentals. In 2008, more than 33,000 tickets were sold to these performances. The Theatre hosts its own presented performances as well as rented shows to third parties that rent the venue. The Theatre has a Performing Arts Advisory Committee to provide advice on programming and operations. The Theatre has only 1 full-time dedicated staff member; the Theatre Programmer. The Facility Officer and Assistant Facility Officer which are both shared functions with the rest of the building, act as theatre technicians. Two box office staff is shared amongst everyone who uses the ticketing system and also acts as reception for the building. The Theatre budget pays 100% of all of these salaries. The box office is located at the CCCs administration office and is open Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. A temporary box office is also open in the theatre lobby for 60 minutes prior to the performance. 2.2.3 Thame s Art Galle ry Also municipally owed and non-profit, the Thames Art Gallery is dedicated to promoting the visual arts and serving the residents of the Municipality of Chatham-
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Kent. In recognition of its status as a National Exhibition Centre, the Gallery places emphasis on public programming and multi-disciplinary exhibitions programming. The Gallery occupies approximately 3,200 square-feet of exhibit space. It consists of a large main floor gallery and a smaller mezzanine gallery, each of which is treated as a separate gallery space. Each year, the Gallery presents 12 to 14 solo and group exhibitions, usually contemporary in nature, originating locally, nationally, and internationally. In addition to its hung exhibitions, the Gallery also presents the Thames Alternative Film Series, in cooperation with the Toronto International Film Festival, which brings films to Chatham-Kent that would not otherwise be seen in the area. The Gallery is dedicated to promoting the understanding, appreciation, conservation, and enjoyment of the visual arts in the community of Chatham-Kent for present and future generations. A curatorial priority is the development to of electronic media/installation/interactive projects that challenge the Gallerys audience and encourage reflection on the particularities and issues of modern culture, both on a local and national level. In common with the Chatham-Kent Museum and the Kiwanis Theatre, the Thames Art Gallery has an Advisory Committee to provide advice with regard to programming and operations. The staffing of the Art Gallery includes the Gallery Curator, the Curatorial Assistant, and the Gallery Program Coordinator. The Gallery is open Monday to Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm. 2.2. 4 Educa tion progr ams Along with their performances and exhibits, each CCC venue contributes to the CCCs Education Programs, which feature learning-based experiences that complement the provincial curriculum from junior kindergarten through grade 12, with a focus on programs for kindergarten through grade 8. 2.3 CCC Mission Statement The Municipality has mandated the CCC with a mission statement that guides the CCCs overall operations. First drafted in 1990 and revised in 2002, the CCCs mission statement specifies that:
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The Chatham Cultural Centre is a municipally administered organization, which operates a Gallery, Museum and Theatre, and related programming facilities. In this context, the Centre is not the sum of its parts (Gallery, Museum and Theatre), but rather, it is that organization which oversees the operation of the Gallery, Museum and Theatre. The Centre is committed to providing Chatham-Kent and it visitors with excellence in cultural services through the achievement of the following objectives, in order of priority: To educate and entertain Chatham-Kent and its visitors by maintaining the operations of a Gallery, Museum and Theatre and related programming. To ensure that professional standards are met in the operation of the Gallery, Museum and Theatre and their programming. To ensure that the Mission Statements of the Gallery, Museum and Theatre are implemented. To co-ordinate the programming and division of the resources (financial and personnel) among the Gallery, Museum and Theatre. To develop markets for the cultural services provided by the Gallery, Museum and Theatre. To provide rental facilities for: Chatham-Kent Cultural Organizations Chatham-Kent Non-Profit Groups Commercial Renters
In addition to the CCCs mission statement, each of the three CCC venues has its own mission statement. 2.4 Operations & Management As cited above, each of the CCCs three venues has its own manager, designated as the Heritage Coordinator, the Gallery Curator, and the Theatre Programmer, respectively. Although each venue operates with its own budget, each venue shares the CCCs facility, marketing, and administrative staff. In total, the CCC employs 15 full-time staff and two part-time staff. Oversight for the entire CCC is the responsibility of Chatham-Kents Manager of Culture & Special Events.
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Together, the Manager of Culture and Special Events and the three venue managers constitute the CCCs management team. Each of the CCCs three advisory committees reports to Council. A separate Council representative sits on the advisory committee for the Chatham-Kent Museum. However, neither the advisory committee for the Kiwanis Theatre nor the Thames Art Gallery has a Council representative. Of note, the CCC is housed within the Municipalitys Department of Community Development and Planning Services, which has operated without a director for three years. In addition, the CCC has not been mandated with a new strategic plan since 1989. The organization chart for the CCC is shown below:
It should be noted that the organization chart presented above portrays a more hierarchical structure than operates in practice. The Manager of Culture and
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Special Events has more of a coordinating role with regard to programming, facility management and operations than a strict managerial role with regard to the each of the three main venues. The Manager is responsible for the budgets of the culture and special events area, not the other venues. The three venues, their key managers and advisory committees tend to operate quite autonomously which is to be expected since each is a non-profit corporation reporting to Council and each has its advisory committee that provides input to operations and programming. Further, the operating culture of each venue requires different skills, operating culture and experience. This effectively makes the job of the Manager of Culture and Special Events challenging since reporting relations are not as clear as are indicated on the chart. The Manager must rely more on skills of persuasion, leadership and good communication to effect coordination of the venues than might be the case in a more directive, hierarchical organization. The hours of operation for the CCC venues are as follows: Chatham Cultural Centre: Operating Hours CCC Venue Kiwanis Theatre Kiwanis Theatre Box Office Thames Art Gallery Chatham-Kent Museum 2.5 Membership There is one CCC membership with different levels that people may join. Each of the levels has various benefits, however, an interest in receiving CCC communications and supporting the CCC through a modest financial contribution would appear to be one of the main reasons people join, since there are no admissions charges for the Art Gallery or Museum. The current membership count stands at 280, broken down as follows: Members still in the old structure 21 Northwood Members ($20 annually) 92 William Street Members ($50 annually) 126 Tecumseh Members ($100 annually) 41 Operating hours Open during performances only. Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Closed Saturdays and Sundays. Daily, 1:00 pm. to 5:00 pm. Daily, 1:00 pm. to 5:00 pm.
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2.6 Budget The CCCs base budget in 2009 is $1,046,219, about 9% higher than the 2008 base budget, and 8% lower than the 2008 year to date actual total. These figures include the budget for Milner House and Ridge House (whose operations are outside the scope of this Master Plan), and the budget for special events (which fall within the CCCs purview, although most special events take place outside the CCC). A summary of the CCCs base budgets is shown below. Chatham Cultural Centre: Base Budgets 2008 / 2009 Culture & Theatre Special Events 2009 Base Budget 2008 Base Budget 2008 YTD Total $329,409 $319,814 $391,579 $230,251 $184,603 $261,926 Gallery $194,742 $177,224 $211,109 Heritage $291,817 $276,946 $277,060 Total CCC $1,046,219 $958,587 $1,141,674
It is noteworthy that the Kiwanis Theatre earns revenues from: (a) various rental clients, and (b) the sale of tickets to an event series that the Kiwanis Theatre books and presents. In both 2007 and 2008, the Kiwanis Theatre exceeded its earned revenue targets from its various rental clients. In 2007, the rental revenue target was exceeded by more than $7,000 and in 2008 the rental revenue target was exceeded by more than $4,000. However, in 2008, the Kiwanis Theatre incurred a deficit of more than $31,000 from a shortfall in revenues from ticket sales to its event series. This deficit was covered through a surplus in the Community and Development Services budget for 2008. A more detailed discussion of the Kiwanis Theatres operating costs, revenues, and cost-recovery expectations is found in Section C of this Master Plan. The following presents a more detailed analysis of the revenues achieved and expenditures for each of the main venues that comprise the CCC.
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Chatham Cultural Centre: Revenues and Expenses by Venue, 2009 CCC Function Culture & Special Events Theatre Gallery Heritage Total CCC
Expenses Staffing $234,527 $250,621 $172,817 $277,996 $935,961 Programs $966 $143,143 $73,628 $25,631 $268,366 Facility $46,661 $31,037 $30,015 $35,216 $142,929 Other $51,924 $12,874 $2,150 $954 $42,904 Total Expenses $334,078 $437,675 $278,610 $339,797 $1,390,160 Revenues Grants $0 $0 -$35,000 -$25,414 -$60,414 Donations -$1,616 -$1,500 -$1,000 -$3,200 -$7,316 Sponsorships $0 $0 -$8,900 -$500 -$8,900 Commission, Service Recovery, bar -$1,050 -$33,424 -$716 -$400 -$35,590 Memberships -$2,000 $0 $0 $0 -$2,000 Theatre admissions $0 -$115,150 $0 $0 -$115,150 Gallery exhibitions $0 $0 -$3,500 $0 -$3,500 Rent $0 -$54,350 $0 $0 -$54,350 Children's, school $0 -$3,000 -$18,801 -$7,000 -$44,125 Workshops -$3 $0 -$15,951 -$11,466 -$12,596 Total Revenues -$4,669 -$207,424 -$83,868 -$47,980 -$343,941 Net Expenses $329,409 $230,251 $194,742 $291,817 $1,046,219 Revenues as % of Total Expenses 1.4% 47.4% 30.1% 14.1% 24.7% Note: (1) To be consistent with municipal and CCC budgeting practices, revenues are shown as negative numbers. (2) Culture and Special Events includes New Years Eve. The Theatre has the largest total expenses ($437,675) of any of the venues. As expected, it achieves the largest portion of revenues received (47%) as a percent of its total expense budget; this compares with the Gallery whose revenues are 30% of total expenses, and the Museum with revenues of 14% of total expenses. 2.7 Utilization Performances in The Kiwanis Theatre (including Studio One) are the primary generator of visits to the CCC. Combined ticket sales to the Kiwanis Theatre and Studio One totaled 33,000 in 2008. For its part, the Thames Art Gallery generates
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approximately 23,000 visits annually, with an estimated 4,000 of these visits occurring before or during performances at the Kiwanis Theatre. These theatredriven visits reduced the number of purpose visits to the Gallery to approximately 19,000 in 2008. The Chatham-Kent Museum generates another 10,000 to 12,000 visits each year, of which an estimated 20 30 percent are either theatre-driven or related to a special event being held at the Gallery, while an equal percentage are attributable to school visits. Chatham Cultural Centre: Utilization 2008 CCC Venue Kiwanis Theatre & Studio One Total visits 33,000 ticketed 18,500 non-ticketed 23,000** Theatre-driven visits* 33,000 School visits see note below *** Adult & childrens programs -------
Thames Art Gallery 4,000 4,500 1,200 Chatham-Kent 10,000 12,000 2,500 3,600 2,500 3,600 ------Museum TOTALS 84,500 86,500 * Pre-show and intermission. ** Excluding ARTspace and traveling exhibitions, which generate an additional estimated 13,000 users. *** The Kiwanis Theatre programs performances for school visits; however, the numbers are included in the 33,000 ticketed visits. Theatre workshops for class visits are also offered through the Kiwanis Theatre however these are presented by a community client and as such, the statistics would be included in 18,500 non-ticketed visits. As a theatre venue, the Kiwanis Theatre and Studio One presented 99 performances in 2008, staged by 19 separate renters or presented by the Kiwanis Theatre itself. In 2008, performances at the Kiwanis Theatre played to houses that averaged 49 percent of the theatres capacity. In terns of the geographic origins of the CCCs patrons, approximately 60 percent of patrons originate in the City of Chatham, and approximately 35 percent originate in the wider Municipality. A further 5 percent are estimated to originate outside the Municipality. 2.8 Joint Marketing Having the three venues under one roof allows for some sharing of staff and resources amongst the various venues when needed. The various venues are
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grouped on the CCCs website which is a good source of information about the programming in one location. The CCC works with the Municipalitys Recreation Programs -- for example, it coordinates brochure drops to local schools so that staff isnt making separate trips. CCC also advertises in their Leisure Guide. However, the CCCs timelines and registration dates are sometimes different than other service providers as is the CCCs market, so joint marketing tends to be carried out when warranted.
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Section 3
Background, Purpose and Objectives of this Master Plan
The Chatham Cultural Centre is a unique cultural facility, the only one of its kind in Ontario, combining a theatre, art gallery and community museum under one roof. Recognizing the unique challenges posed by this arrangement, but at the same time the unique synergies possible, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent determined that a Master Plan was required to guide future investment in, and operations at, the facility. It has been approximately 20 years since any such strategic planning has been undertaken. The need for such a Master Plan is underscored by recent events in the community. The Municipality has recently acquired the Capitol Theatre, a major performing arts venue in the downtown that is in the process of being restored (by a separate not-for-profit organization who will also operate the facility in the longer term). The operations of this venue will impact upon the Kiwanis Theatre to some extent. Accordingly, a major purpose of the current study is to determine ways and means through which the two venues can mutually thrive, each appealing to its own market niche and not cannibalizing one another. As well, the Municipality has acquired the Armoury (very close to the CCC) and may in future acquire the Pines Chapel (one kilometer away from the CCC on Ursaline Avenue, on the other side of the river) that has been proposed as potential cultural spaces. Finally, it was recognized that we are entering difficult financial times. Even prior to the current sharp economic downturn in the fall of 2008 it was recognized that the future prospects for the economic base of Chatham-Kent were challenging, and that other areas for potential economic diversification such as tourism could be difficult to develop in the years ahead. Accordingly, for all these reasons it was felt the time was right to undertake a review of the operations of the CCC and the development of this Master Plan to guide future operations and investment. In May of 2008 a Request for Proposal was issued.
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Specific goals identified within the Terms of Reference were: 1. To identify market trends in the cultural industry and integrate that research into the analysis of the CCC; 2. To compare the usage of the CCC to similar cultural facilities in Ontario; 3. To identify strengths, deficiencies, gaps and opportunities within operations, programs/services, and the CCC facility and recommend strategies to address issues and enhance opportunities; 4. To identify and make recommendations on existing and potential relationships with other cultural providers within Chatham-Kent; 5. To prioritize the recommendations into short, medium and long-term objectives, including budget estimates, to assist with future planning. Specific topic areas to be addressed within the above were to include (but not be limited to) the following: Operations: Hours of operation Staffing Budgeting and funding Marketing Technology Governance committees (theatre, gallery, museum) Community relationships Programs / Services: Programming Collections / acquisitions Facility: Expansion needs of the three operations within the CCC Expansion options Capital costs and implications
The next section of this Report describes the work plan and the specific activities undertaken to develop this Master Plan.
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Section 4
Activities Undertaken in the Development of this Master Plan
A number of activities were undertaken in the development of this Master Plan. These were: 4.1 Interviews A large number of interviews (over 60) in Chatham-Kent were held, with staff of the CCC, volunteers, key politicians (including the Mayor) and key stakeholders in the community. 4.2 Focus Groups / Public Meetings Three public meetings / workshop sessions were held throughout Chatham-Kent (one in the north in Wallaceburg, one in the middle in Chatham, and the third in the south in Blenheim). These sessions were advertised through the local media and attended by small but keenly interested groups of local and regional residents. In addition, several workshop sessions were held with the Steering Committee on the project. 4.3 Community Survey A web-based community survey was developed and mounted on the Municipalitys web site (using the SurveyMonkey facility). E-mail messages alerting people to the existence of the survey were sent to those on the CCC mailing lists, and a general notification in local media as to the opportunity to complete a survey posted. In total 136 responses were received (generally a very good response rate for a survey of this type in a community this size).
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4.4 Benchmarking / Comparators Various types of community benchmarking were undertaken. First, a comparison of Chatham-Kents total and per capita expenditures relative to a standard set of municipal comparators was undertaken. (This standard set comprises the cities of Niagara Falls, Kitchener, St Thomas, Cambridge, London, Greater Sudbury, Sarnia, Brantford, Kingston, and Guelph.) This generally showed Chatham-Kent to be somewhat lower than its comparators on per capita arts and culture expenditures (see Appendix B). A second round of benchmarking was undertaken with respect to other communities that had art galleries, museums and theatres, and how these operations were operated and maintained. A general conclusion from this assessment was each of these three functions was viewed by the local community as being essential, and that Chatham-Kent was as progressive as any of these communities in terms of how it provided for the needs of its citizens (see Appendix C). A third benchmark comparison was undertaken with other communities in Ontario that possess municipal arts and culture strategies or master plans, to assess what sorts of plans and initiatives had been in these communities, and what sorts of lessons learned were gleaned. 4.5 Physical Review of Facility Another key task involved an architectural review of the current CCC facility and exploration of various options to accommodate the critical expansion needs of the gallery and museum, and a re-configuration of the theatre. The Chatham-based firm of Jorden & Cook Architect undertook the review. The review involved extensive discussions with staff, and exploration of various options for space reallocation and utilization. Ultimately, three options were developed for further assessment (see Section 8.1).
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Section 5
Common Themes Emerging from the Research: SWOT and Situation Analysis
5.1 SWOT Assessment A SWOT assessment (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) is the logical place to start in developing a strategic or master plan for cultural and historical resource management. It ensures that the strategy ultimately developed is grounded in a clear understanding of the advantages possessed by, and challenges and opportunities facing, a community. Below we discuss first the underlying logic of a SWOT approach, then the application of this approach to the assessment of the CCC. a) The Logic of the SWO T Appro ach A SWOT analysis can provide the basis for a strategic plan. Different elements (strengths, weaknesses, and so on) will logically imply different types of strategic actions and initiatives, as shown in the chart below: How Defined Strategically? unique or very strong factors that provide current advantages or benefits in the provision of services to residents and visitors areas of current disadvantage in the provision of services to residents and visitors situations that present opportunities for future advantage or benefit situations that present dangers of future disadvantage Strategic Actions protect an advantage further develop or capitalize upon an existing advantage strengthen areas of weakness reposition to eliminate weakness (in reality, or through the creation of alternative perceptions) feasibility testing implementation planning risk assessment contingency planning
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats
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b) Appli cati on of the SWOT Appro ach to the CCC Based upon the interviews, surveys and benchmarking assessment of facilities elsewhere, the major findings relating to SWOT: Strengths existence of these 3 facilities under one roof, and the potential synergies available in at least three areas: 1) audience development and crossover; 2) joint programming (including educational programming); 3) joint marketing and public relations quite high community regard for the programming (as revealed through the surveys and interviews) municipal support evidenced for continuing support (as evidenced by this Master Plan) location in the cultural precinct of Chatham pleasant and walkable connection to downtown (in summer) major public facility demonstrating the quality of life of the community (which can be used in the economic development sell of C-K) lack of storage and gallery space in the museum lack of storage and gallery space in the gallery uncomfortable seats in the theatre lack of key facilities in the theatre (e.g. improved catwalk, improved sound system) overall tired image of facility some lack of management and coordination lack of awareness in the community as to what is available (in part caused by very small marketing budget) location away from the downtown (in winter) representation on advisory committees does not encompass entire municipality; also could include greater representation from business community no specific mechanism to report back to community opportunities to address most of the weaknesses indicated above through this Master Plan opportunities to better exploit corporate partnerships expansion potential of additional municipal facilities (Pines Chapel, Armouries, potential Court House acquisition) opportunities to capitalize on cultural tourism difficult and challenging economic times in future (manufacturing, to some extent, tourism) aging and dwindling volunteer base uncertainty regarding future of Capitol Theatre and impact upon the Kiwanis Theatre uncertainty regarding future of the Armoury, and impact upon the C-K Museum
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
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5.2 Situation Analysis: Major Themes and Issues Our discussions with CCC staff, interviews with CCC stakeholders, and review of the CCCs operations have revealed 14 major themes or issues that inform the recommendations contained in this Master Plan. These major themes and issues are: 1. As a facility, the CCC is now undersized. In order to serve residents and visitors to Chatham-Kent and meet the objectives defined by its mission, the CCC requires either: a. an expansion of the existing facility, or b. a relocation of either the Thames Art Gallery or the Chatham-Kent Museum to another facility outside the CCC. 1. The opening of the Capitol Theatre will require a repositioning of the mission of the Kiwanis Theatre, along with coordinated or joint operations with the Capitol Theatre to ensure the viability of both venues. 2. In the short to medium-term, revenues for the Kiwanis Theatre are at risk of decline following the opening of the Capitol Theatre. At the same time, a relocation of either the Thames Art Gallery or the Chatham-Kent Museum to another facility outside the CCC will have a cost implication. Both of these circumstances will impact the CCCs overall budget requirement for annual operations. 3. The Kiwanis Theatre requires significant capital investments (phase 2 catwalk, sound system, new seating), along with the adoption of new operating procedures and technologies to successfully meet its mission. 4. Overall, the CCCs physical plant is tired and in need of aesthetic renewal and renovation, including a reconfiguration of the box office area, improved accessibility to the Kiwanis Theatre, the addressing of backstage issues, the addressing of display-space issues for the Thames Art Gallery and the Chatham-Kent Museum, and the addressing of storage issues related to all 3 venues. 5. The CCCs management model and staffing complement is increasingly inadequate to meet the growing service and operational demands faced by the CCC.
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6. Opportunities to develop corporate sponsorships, bequests, and planned giving for the CCC are not being pursued. 7. Although highly valued by its patrons, the CCC has a low profile in ChathamKent that is fed by the perception outside the City of Chatham that the CCC functions primarily as a venue for City residents. 8. Representation on the CCCs three advisory committees is not representative of the entire municipality. 9. Relative to the Kiwanis Theatre, the Thames Art Gallery and the Chatham-Kent Museum generate a lower number of purpose visits. There is an appreciable degree of crossover between the Theatre audience and that of the other two venues. 10. The CCC does not currently possess a comprehensive and detailed marketing strategy with a marketing budget that is commensurate with its need. 11. Opportunities for joint programming among the CCCs venues are not currently being explored and developed. 12. The CCC does not currently possess an evaluation framework that measures its social and economic contribution to the community. 13. The future of the CCC will affect the Municipalitys economic development sell, affect its place competitiveness, and affect its potential for cultural tourism. 5.3 Implications of Major Issues and Themes The major issues and themes that are cited above have significant implications for the future development of the Chatham Cultural Centre and for the overall cultural development of Chatham-Kent. These themes and issues also have significant implications for the level of financial support that the Municipality provides to the CCC. Accordingly, in shaping the recommendations contained in this Master Plan, our intent has been: a. To ensure that the overall strategic direction prescribed in this Master Plan enables the CCC to meet the objectives that are mandated by the
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Municipality within the CCCs mission statement and within the mission statements of its 3 venues. b. To ensure that the individual recommendations contained in this Master Plan are considered within the larger context of Chatham-Kents overall cultural development, and c. To ensure that, in the light of (a) and (b), the individual recommendations contained in this Master Plan offer the most cost-effective solutions. Beyond serving these three primary intents, our recommendations have also been shaped with a view to how, give the place competitiveness in which Canadian cities are now engaged, the CCC can contribute to Chatham-Kents economic development. More specifically, our view is that a renewal of the CCC in the context of the overall cultural development of Chatham-Kent can help re-position Chatham-Kent as a community that understands the creative economy and that, through the provision of an array of high-quality cultural amenities, is re-tooling to attract the Creative Class of entrepreneurs and white-collar workers who increasingly drive Ontarios economic growth. The creative economy and the Creative Class are terms that have been popularized by economics guru Richard Florida, Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Torontos Rotman School of Business. As referenced in our opening statement of philosophy, the creative economy refers to the various economic sectors that draw in large part upon the energies and talents of the Creative Class. These economic sectors include private sector enterprises involved with the creation of new products and services: for example, advertising agencies, new media and software development, financial services, medical research, engineering, and architecture. However, the creative economy also embraces the non-profit cultural sector: arts and heritage organizations, museums, theatres, festivals, public art galleries, and arts education. The defining characteristic of the Creative Class which drives the creative economy is that its members work with ideas. On balance, they are also young, highly educated, self-motivated, and entrepreneurial. The recently released report, Ontario In The Creative Age, authored by Richard Florida and Roger Martin for the Government of Ontario, states that 30 percent of Ontarios workers are now creativity-based while accounting for almost 50
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percent of all wages. The report cites that physically oriented jobs (e.g., manufacturing, transportation and construction) have decreased from 29 percent to 22 percent over the past 25 years. Employment in these industries is projected to continue eroding while employment in the creative economy sectors will continue expanding.6 Elsewhere, most notably in Rise of the Creative Class and Whos Your City, Richard Florida argues that cities that investment in cultural amenities are advantaged in attracting and retaining creativity-based industries and workers. Given this analysis, we believe that this Master Plan for the CCC should be seen, at one and the same time, as both a blueprint for the future of the CCC and a critical component of the Municipalitys strategy for economic development.
Ontario In The Creative Age, Richard Florida and Roger Martin, Martin Prosperity Institute, Toronto, Ont., Feb. 5, 2009.
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Section 6
Caveats and Cautions on this Project
There are a number of caveats and cautions that the reader should bear in mind when reviewing this Report. These are: 1. Futu re Uncer taint y Regar ding Other Munic ipal Cultu ral Facil ities : The Municipality of Chatham-Kent maintains a portfolio of existing and potential cultural assets throughout its area. In addition to the CCC, these include the Capitol Theatre, the Armoury, the Pines Chapel, and various others. Thus the CCC necessarily operates within a network or system of cultural facilities throughout the municipality. As these facilities all draw upon and influence the cultural audience within the community, they all will affect one another to a greater or lesser degree. While this project is a Master Plan to guide the future of the CCC, we have not developed similar Master Plans for these other facilities. Their future operations and requirements may influence the development of the CCC. The most critical in this regard, of course, is the Capitol Theatre and its potential impact upon the Kiwanis Theatre. (Many of our interviewees expressed concern that the Capitol might end up competing directly with the Kiwanis for community use, especially if it was not able to draw in and sustain the touring shows upon which its business model is predicated.) However, our approach is based upon an assumption that the Capitol Theatre will operate according to the plan adopted by Council, and be a successful operation. Specifically, we assume the following: The Capitol Theatre and the Kiwanis theatre will cater to essentially two separate, distinct and non-overlapping niches; the Kiwanis being the smallscale intimate and affordable theatre venue intended primarily for community use and small-scale productions with smaller audience appeal (e.g. chamber music). In contrast, the Capitol will cater primarily to larger-
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scale touring productions and large community shows beyond the capacity of the Kiwanis The Capitol Theatre is essentially a commercial venture, striving to make a profit or at least break-even. In contrast, as a community venue, the Kiwanis Theatre will continue to be subsidized, expected to operate on a fiscally responsible basis but not expected to generate a profit The Kiwanis and Capitol Theatre will share certain common functions such as the box office, technical staff, etc.
2. Cost Estim ation : The capital and operating costs estimated in this Report should be regarded as order of magnitude in nature. We have based estimates upon existing budget figures for the CCC, as well as (for capital costs) unit cost estimates for similar projects elsewhere. These will provide a reasonable indication of the financial resources required to implement the recommendations presented here, but should not be regarded as the final or absolute amounts required. Especially regarding capital costs, depending upon the construction prices at the time of the project, actual costs may be somewhat more or less than estimated here. As well, it may be that certain forms of government assistance (such as infrastructure funding) are available which will reduce the municipal contribution required. 3. Econ omic Situa tion Stabi lize s: Clearly the economic situation in Ontario, and particularly Chatham-Kent, is not healthy or optimal at the present time. Furthermore, general expectations are that the economic situation will likely get somewhat worse before it gets better. Notwithstanding this, and recognizing that the municipality has a recently-completed economic development strategy that will guide economic development efforts in areas that will over time diversify and grow the economy, we assume that the municipality will have the financial capacity to implement the recommendations presented here (subject to the normal review by municipal staff and preparation of an advised implementation plan to Council). In other words, we assume that should the municipality choose to implement this plan (amidst all the other priorities it administers) it will have the capacity to do so.
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PART B. MASTER PLAN
7. Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives of the CCC 8. Key Action Areas and Recommendations
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Section 7
Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives of the CCC
7.1 Vision and Mission To guide its future operations and that of the 3 venues that it oversees, we recommend that the CCC adopt a vision statement to complement its mission. We also recommend that each CCC venue adopt its own vision statement, and, where necessary, that each CCC venue modify its mission in light of the recommendations in this Master Plan. Vision and mission differ somewhat in their orientation and purpose. Vision is a longer-term word picture of what an organization intends to achieve at some future point. It is a description of what the organization aspires to become, as distinct from what it is now. In contrast, mission describes the day-to-day operational objectives of the organization. If an organization has a mission, and if its operating plan contains objectives that reflect that mission, then realizing the vision will be the logical consequence of following the operating plan. Chatham-Kent is on the threshold of an exciting chapter in its cultural development. Through the decades-long activities of the CCC, the Municipality has developed a base for arts and culture upon which it can build. In addition, the planned opening of the Capitol Theatre, the planned redevelopment of the Armoury as a natural history museum, and the planned implementation of the Tecumseh Park Master Plan offer the makings of a cultural precinct located in downtown Chatham - an opportunity with significant implications for the Municipalitys economic development sell. Because the CCC has a role in shaping both the cultural and economic future of Chatham-Kent, we believe that a vision statement for the CCC should speak both to the CCCs function as a cultural service provider and to its function in repositioning the Municipality as a jurisdiction that competes in the creative economy. This is the vision statement that we propose:
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Visi on To be a provider of state-of-the-art Municipal cultural services in southwestern Ontario, known for: (a) offering a variety of high-quality events and programs that appeal to visitors and residents alike, and (b) positioning Chatham-Kent as recognized centre for arts and culture. Operating with this vision, the mission statement of the CCC is appropriate and does not require modification. However, in our view objective No. 4 of the mission, to co-ordinate the programming and division of the resources (financial and personnel) among the Gallery, Museum and Theatre, is not currently being met, particularly with respect to the division and deployment of personnel. The sharing of CCCs facility, marketing, and administrative personnel by the three CCC venues has created a situation wherein each venue attempts to maximize its share of the CCCs staff resources. As a result, staff sometime feels yanked from assignments in one venue to assignments in another venue. This situation has created tension among staff and between the three venue managers, who at times compete with each other to secure the staff they require. Accordingly, with respect to objective No. 4 of the CCCs mission, we recommend that each member of staff that is shared between the three venues (i.e. Theatre, Gallery and Museum) have a portion of their salary paid directly from the budget of each venue. This would ensure that a corresponding allocation of time provided by each staff resource would be available to each venue. With respect to a vision for each CCC venue, we recommend that the Heritage Coordinator, the Gallery Curator, and the Theatre Programmer work with their respective advisory committees to develop vision statements that align with the CCCs vision statement. In our view, the individual mission statements of the Chatham-Kent Museum and the Thames Art Gallery do not require modification. However, we recommend that the mission statement for the Kiwanis Theatre be modified to specify new objectives related to: (a) coordinated or joint operations with the Capitol Theatre and, (b) a re-positioning of the Kiwanis programming mandate resulting from coordinated or joint operations with the Capitol Theatre. To these ends, we also recommend that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) be signed between the Municipality and the Chatham Capitol Theatre Association specifying the nature of
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the operating relationship between the Capitol Theatre and the Kiwanis Theatre. This MOU would then inform changes to the Kiwanis mission statement. 7.2 Goal and Objectives Following from this Mission and Vision, there are five goal areas that we would recommend as being the major ways through which CCC can act according to its Mission and realize the Vision. These are: A. impro veme nt to the facilities (i.e. physical space and equipment) available to the museum, gallery and theatre B. incr ease d colla borat ion between CCC entities and between CCC and other cultural agencies throughout Chatham-Kent C. increas ed outreach to other communities throughout Chatham-Kent, so that the benefits of CCC activities and programming are available throughout the municipality (recognizing that about 60% of the municipalitys population lives outside of Chatham proper) D. improved user serv ices, including physical and policy aspects to ensure an accessible, welcoming and comfortable environment for users E. impro ved marke ting and aware ness -buil ding, to ensure that those who may wish to avail of the facilities and services of the CCC are in fact able to so do Specific goals and (measurable) objectives in each of these areas are presented below: Area A. Facilities Recommended Goal 1. all functional entities within the CCC have adequate physical facilities to enable them to carry out their individual mandates 2. increased collaboration between the CCC entities themselves (where appropriate and optimal for all parties), and between the CCC and other cultural organizations in C-K 3. retain physical proximity to one another, either in the same building or within a cultural precinct 4. increased outreach activities by all Recommended Objectives space increases for the TAG space increase for the C-KM reconfiguration of space for the KT embark upon fundraising campaign to raise funds for the foregoing increased joint programming and marketing between CCC entities increased collaboration between CCC and other cultural entities throughout C-K improved internal communications and management
B. Collaboration
C. Outreach
investigate longer-term feasibility of establishing 45
CCC entities, so that the community benefits are recognized throughout the municipality
D. User Services
5. improve the physical access and usability of the common areas and spaces within the CCC facility
E. Marketing
6. ensure a much higher level of awareness of CCC and the various programs and opportunities available
ARTspace-like venues in other communities continue to play a leading role in the coordinating the activities of the heritage network throughout Chatham-Kent actively promote the availability of the Kiwanis Theatre to community groups outside Chatham and seeks ways and means of encouraging greater participation improve access, common areas and public areas within CCC complex harmonize hours of operation with public need ensure appropriate levels of staffing to develop and deliver programs as well as respond to general visitor or user need develop and implement marketing plan (along the lines discussed in this document) ensure then CCC is promoted as a tourism attraction, when appropriate (based upon programs and services on at any particular point in time) ensure that CCC is an element in the economic development publicity materials of the Municipality, to emphasize that C-K is a progressive community with a high quality of life
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Section 8
Key Action Areas and Recommendations
8.1
Physical Configuration of Space
8.1. 1 Over all Space Need s Through in-depth discussions with staff at the CCC, the required space allocations (shown in the chart below) were determined for each of the three venues. As well, the proper amounts of common area and common-function space were identified. The philosophy underlying these discussions was to ensure sufficient space and facilities to provide for current and anticipated future need of the community. Area COMMON AREAS Conference Meeting Room Staff Lunch Room / Kitchen School lunchroom Common shared entrance Public Elevator Manager's Office Facility Supervisor's Office Marketing Supervisor Open workstations (2) Volunteer Room Total Net Common Area Spaces THEATRE Auditorium Space Sound & Lighting Controls Lobby off Murray Bar at Lobby Coat Check at Lobby Existing Area (sq. ft.) 0 280 0 250 0 110 0 100 0 0 740 4,300 100 800 0 0 Scheme A Proposed area (sq. ft.) Extra Required (sq. ft.) 350 280 1,600 1,400 200 150 100 100 150 200 4,530 4,300 100 1,700 300 500 350 0 1,600 1,150 200 40 100 0 150 200 3,790 0 0 900 300 500 Area Required in Scheme B 350 220 990 1,400 200 210 210 206 330 210 4,326 4,300 100 1600 300 400 47
Studio 1 Kitchen / servery Performer Dressing Room Green Room Workshop Assembly Room Ticket Sales (2 people) Workstation, phone desk Front of House Supervisor Theatre Programmer's Office Public Washrooms Performer Washrooms Staging area at receiving Programming Room Total Net Theatre Space MUSEUM Exhibit Space Collection Storage Programming Room Open workstations (6) Meeting room Public Washrooms Work Room Staging Area at receiving Total Net Museum Space ART GALLERY Exhibit Space Collection Storage Programming room Studio 2 Curator's Office Program Coordinator Open workstations (2) Staging area at receiving Total Net Art Gallery Space Total Net Areas Multiplier Net to Gross Total Gross Areas
1,800 230 0 0 575 0 140 0 80 0 635 0 0 0 8,660 3,500 900 0 0 0 140 190 0 4,730 3,300 600 0 1,400 100 100 0 0 5,500 19,630 1.30 25,519
1,800 300 120 250 575 600 140 64 150 100 635 200 700 1,400 13,934 4,200 3,600 1,400 500 150 140 250 700 10,940 4,200 2,400 700 1,400 100 100 150 700 9,750 39,154 1.30 50,900
0 70 120 250 0 600 0 64 70 100 0 200 700 1,400 5,274 700 2,700 1,400 500 150 0 60 700 6,210 900 1,800 700 0 0 0 150 700 4,250 19,524 1.30 25,381
1700 500 200 400 1350 700 140 100 150 150 1000 200 800 1500 15,590 4000 3000 1,400 500 150 140 250 700 10,140 4000 1500 700 1300 120 120 150 800 8,690 38,746 1.30 50,370
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Summarizing these space requirements the following shows the net additional space required plus the gross space assuming a 1.3 multiplier. The gross floor area accounts for exterior dimensions, circulation, shafts, hallways etc. The total gross area used at present is 25,519 square feet. The additional square feet implied using the gross up factor is 25,381 square feet for a total gross footprint of 50,900 square feet assuming all functions on one site. Function Current Net Space (sq. ft.) 8,660 4,730 5,500 740 19,630 Additional Space Needed (net) (sq. ft.) 5,274 6,210 4,250 3,790 19,524 Required Space (net) (sq. ft.) 13,934 10,940 9,750 4,530 39,154 % Increase Current Gross Space (sq. ft.) 11,258 6,149 7,150 962 25,168 Additional Space Needed (gross) (sq. ft.) 6,856 8,073 5,525 4,927 25,381 Required Space (gross) (sq. ft.) 18,114 14,222 12,675 5,889 50,900
Kiwanis Theatre ChathamKent Museum Thames Art Gallery Common Areas Total
61% 131% 77% 512% 99%
As this chart shows, overall space requirements are just about exactly double the current provision. Much of this additional space required is for exhibition and programming, and the related storage, access, office space and common areas that support these activities. 8.1. 2 Alte rnat ives Consi dered The architects developed three alternative scenarios for consideration, representing three alternative ways of accommodating the space needs outlined above. These are: Scen ario A: The philosophy underlying this scenario is that all three venues will remain on the same (current) site and that each will have the optimum amount of space it requires on a dedicated basis. There will be a minimum of shared spaces and services between the three venues. This is the maximum space option. Scen ario B: The philosophy underlying this scenario is that, as with Scenario A, all three venues will remain on the current site. Each will have the optimum 49
amount of space it requires for essential functions such as storage, gallery space and related programming. However, beyond that, visitor service space such as classrooms, workshop space, etc. will be shared to the maximum extent possible. Thus this scenario envisages no loss of functional space for any of the three venues in the CCC, but at the same time maximal sharing of other public space. This is a minimum space option. Scen ario C: This scenario envisages taking one of the venues out of the existing CCC facility and placing it in another building nearby (in order to retain the three functions being relatively proximate to one another). For illustrative purposes, we have assumed that the Museum might relocate to the Court House building (assuming that the municipality ends upacquiring that facility). Other possibilities would be the Museum or Gallery relocating to the Armoury, a suitable downtown location near tothe Capitol Theatre, or the Pines Chapel.
The accompanying diagrams show the space layout configuration under eachof these scenarios.
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8.1. 3 Capit al Progr am and Costs The following pages present the three Schemes and associated costing. Sche me A Would require the purchases of all three properties on Adelaide Street North Would not alter existing parking configurations on site Would make the reconfiguration of the existing spaces difficult Would have the greatest impact on the site and neighbours Would move most spaces further away from their relative spaces now Renovation costs would be in the $75 to $100 per square foot Addition construction costs would be in the $200 per square foot Budget Budget Renovations Budget New Construction Parking Lot Revisions Total Construction Budget
$2,360,000 $5,100,000 $100,000 $7,560,000
The above would not include, Contingency Allowance, Contractors Mark-Up, fees, property costs or FFE (furniture, fixtures and equipment). It is anticipated that the above costs would be in the range of $4,266,800. Budget Property Costs Fees Equipment and Furniture Contingency Allowance Contractor Mark-Up Total Project Costs
$650,000 $604,800 $1,500,000 $756,000 $756,000 $11,826,800
Sche me B Would not require the purchase of any additional properties on Adelaide Street North Would require some revisions to existing parking configurations on site to maintain 144 spaces Would mean that the building would be shut down at various times during construction Would have minimal impact on the neighbours Would keep all spaces adjacent to their relative spaces now 58
Renovation costs would be in the $75 to $100 per square foot Addition construction costs would be in the $200 per square foot
Budget Budget Renovations Budget New Construction Parking Lot Revisions Total Construction Budget
$2,360,000 $4,240,000 $200,000 $6,800,000
The above would not include, Contingency Allowance, Contractors Mark-Up, fees, property costs or FFE (furniture, fixtures and equipment). It is anticipated that the above costs would be in the range of $3,404,000.00. Budget Property Costs Fees Equipment and Furniture Contingency Allowance Contractor Mark-Up Total Project Costs
$0 $544,000 $1,500,000 $680,000 $680,000 $10,204,000
Sche me C Would not require the purchase of any additional properties on Adelaide Street North Would require some revisions to existing parking configurations on site to maintain 144 spaces Would mean that the building would be shut down at various times during construction Would have minimal impact on the neighbours Would keep all spaces adjacent to their relative spaces now Renovation costs would be in the $75 to $100 per square foot Addition construction costs would be in the $200 per square foot Budget Budget Renovations Budget New Construction Parking Lot Revisions Total Construction Budget
$2,360,000 $2,920,000 $100,000 $5,480,000
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The above would not include, Contingency Allowance, Contractors Mark-Up, fees, property costs or FFE (furniture, fixtures and equipment). It is anticipated that the above costs would be in the range of $3,034,400. Budget Property Costs Fees Equipment and Furniture Contingency Allowance Contractor Mark-Up Total Project Costs Addit iona l notes to Schem e C Scheme C bases all the above costs on either the Chatham-Kent Museum or the Thames Art Gallery relocating to another building or site. Therefore there would still be additional costs to Scheme C for the construction of a new building of between 11,000 and 13,000 square feet. Budget Budget Renovations Budget New Construction Parking Lot Revisions
$0 $438,400 $1,500,000 $548,000 $548,000 $8,514,400
$1,300,000 $2,600,000 $300,000
The above would not include, Contingency Allowance, Contractors Mark-Up, fees, property costs or FFE (furniture, fixtures and equipment). It is anticipated that the above costs would be in the range of $2,062,000. Budget Property Costs Fees Equipment and Furniture Contingency Allowance Contractor Mark-Up Total Project Costs 8.1. 4 Eval uatio n of Alte rnati ve Scena rios
$500,000 $232,000 $750,000 $290,000 $290,000 $4,962,000
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The accompanying chart compares each of the three options. These are all acceptable ways of accommodating the physical space needs of the Museum, Gallery and Theatre. The Terms of Reference did not specifically require that we identify a preferred option, but we would comment that between options A and B, we prefer B. There are several reasons for this: 1) B has a lower capital cost; 2) it does not require the demolition of historic houses on Adelaide St.; and 3) it forces a greater sharing of space and cooperation in the use of the facility and is thus more likely to encourage joint programming and activity. The choice between option B and C however is much more difficult: on the one hand, the removal of either the Gallery or the Museum from the space diminishes to some extent the CCCs force as a combined cultural entity (although this can be lessened if either venue is relocated elsewhere within the cultural precinct - i.e. within walking distance). On the other, this would provide ample expansion space for the remaining facility. It is understood that the removal of the gingko tree (beloved by some and an icon reflected in the image of the Centre), which is a requirement of option A, could be a contentious issue therefore we are recommending that a minimum of 2 independent and unbiased assessments be completed on the tree before drawings are started on an expanded building. If it is found that the tree has a short, limited life span and will need to come down in the near future, we would see an opportunity to address that space by moving the Atrium down so that proper access to the backstage and front lobby could be gained. If the assessments show that the tree has a much longer life, then at least we can proceed with drawings knowing that the integrity of the new building wasn't compromised to allow it to remain.
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Chat ham Cultu ral Centr e Compa riso n of Expa nsion Optio ns Option Description Additional Sq. Ft. Estimated Cost ($ millions) $11.827 Advantages Disadvantages
Scheme A Maximum Footprint
this scenario retains all three venues 24,900 (Museum, Art Gallery, Theatre) in the CCC the design philosophy is to provide each venue with dedicated space to specifically meet its own needs
Scheme B this scenario also retains all three venues 18,800 Maximum Efficiency (Museum, Art Gallery, Theatre) in the CCC the design philosophy is to maximize efficiencies by having shared facilities, joint use of public programming spaces, etc. Scheme C this scenario assumes that one of the 13,200 plus Relocation of One relocatable venues (either Gallery or new facility Function Museum) moves out from the CCC proper this enables the other two venues to expand and optimize their use of space relocated venue ideally stays within the cultural precinct (i.e. within easy walking distance of CCC)
$10.204
each venue has dedicated space for its own operation; no need for accommodation to other functions in building retains potential synergies of colocation no compromise in terms of critical museum and gallery functions: storage space, display space, etc. may enforce greater shared usage, cooperation provides greater expansion room (and possibly additional future expansion potential) to all three venues
required acquisition of three homes on Adelaide St. requires gingko removal
shared space among venues requires accommodation from each to other functions
$13.476
diminishes CCCs force somewhat as a combined cultural entity
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8.2 Programming The programming available through the CCC is generally perceived to be of high quality and meeting community needs. For example, the community survey revealed the following: Statement asked in the community survey (respondents asked whether they agreed) % answering somewhat agree or strongly agree 61.9% 57.5% 46.7% 47.4% 50.8% 46.7% 53.7% 45.9% 75.8% 61.6% 83.7% 79.8% 65.9% % answering dont know
Chatham-Kent Museum The collections and exhibits in the Chatham-Kent Museum do a good job of reflecting and interpreting the history of the area. The overall appearance and presentation of the Museum is fresh and interesting. Programming done by the Museum is relevant and interesting. New exhibits are offered frequently enough for the Museum to keep fresh and interesting. Thames Art Gallery The collections and exhibits in the Thames Art Gallery do a good job of presenting and interpreting visual art from within Chatham-Kent. The collections and exhibits in the Thames Art Gallery do a good job of presenting and interpreting visual art from outside Chatham-Kent. The appearance and presentation of the Gallery is fresh and interesting. Programming done by the Gallery is relevant and interesting. Kiwanis Theatre For users, the Kiwanis Theatre is an excellent and affordable venue with all the facilities that community groups could need. For patrons, the Kiwanis Theatre is an attractive and comfortable facility with good sightlines and acoustics. Programming and events presented in the Kiwanis Theatre are relevant and interesting. The Box Office is physically accessible. The hours or operation of the box office fit the schedules of patrons.
26.1% 26.9% 36.3% 34.1% 29.1% 32.3% 25.4% 31.6% 8.8% 3.0% 3.0% 9.7% 10.4%
As the community survey shows, respondents generally rate the CCCs programming fairly positively. It is evident that the Kiwanis Theatre is seen to have programming that is of the greatest interest to the community overall (with nearly 84% agreeing that programming and events are relevant and interesting). This compares to ratings on a similar question of approximately 47% for the Museum
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and 46% for the Gallery. In these cases, however, there is a significant percentage that answered dont know probably reflecting a lack of awareness or interest. While these sorts of results are not out of line with what we have seen in other communities (reflecting a lack of interest in a museum or art gallery product) there is nonetheless some implication in terms of methods to make programming even more dynamic, relevant and interesting. This activity dynamic, relevant, and interesting programming should remain a focus for the CCC. In our view, opportunities exist to develop more joint programming between the Gallery and the Theatre, and between the Museum and the Theatre. To this end, some Theatre programming might inform the programming offered at both the Museum and the Gallery). Other programming and operational-related issues are addressed below: Comp leme ntar y Opera tions Betwe en Kiwan is and Capit ol Thea tres: It is imperative that, once the Capitol Theatre is operational, a coordinated and complementary business model and marketing plan be developed. This should recognize the role of the KT as the affordable, small-scale community theatre whose objective is to serve the performing arts needs of the community (unlike the Capitol, which is to present larger touring productions to the community, and generate a profit doing so). Shar ed Funct ions Betwe en Kiwan is and Capit ol Theat res There are several functions that should or could be shared between the Kiwanis and the Capitol Theatre. These are 1) box office and ticket sales; 2) programming coordination; 3) marketing (to some extent); and 4) technical and crew services (e.g. set construction, teardown, etc.). A MOU should be developed between the two operations when the Capitol is operational in order to ensure that these functions perform optimally. With respect to box office, our view is that only one box office service is required in Chatham-Kent. With the infrastructure currently in place at Kiwanis Theatre, the Kiwanis is the logical supplier of this service. The CCC box office could provide ticket-selling services for the Capitol Theatre on a fee for service basis. Adjus ted Hour s of Opera tion : At present, hours of operation are 1 to 5, 7 days a week for the Gallery and Museum. The Theatre is open for scheduled performances only. The box office is open 9 to 5 Monday through Friday. There is some interest in the community for some evening hours. CCC should pilot test
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some alternative hours to optimally meet community demand (e.g. open the Gallery and Museum on Thursday or Friday evenings, try packages with restaurants for these evening hours, remain open up until curtain time on performance evenings at KT, etc.). Also, other times (e.g. Saturday mornings) should be tried as well. The box office should be open 11am to 6pm Tuesday to Saturday and two hours prior to all performances. Progr ammi ng at the Kiwan is Theat re Until the Capitol opens, the Kiwanis Theatre must continue to host a mix of community and professional activity. Kiwanis Theatre is the home for community and professional performances in the area. With the opening of the Chatham Capitol Theatre on the horizon the Kiwanis will have competition. It is imperative that, as opposed to developing a competitive strategy, The Kiwanis Theatre and Kiwanis Theatre must build on opportunities to work together. The presenting model should continue in the short term and be part of future conversations with the Capitol in the long-term. That said, when a promoter is given the choice between two venues, the larger venue the 1,200-seat Capitol - will almost always be selected. Given the financial risks to the Municipality associated with presenting, particularly in the current economy, this is entirely desirable. The forprofit Capitol Theatre should lead professional presenting in the region, while the non-profit Kiwanis Theatre should host smaller professional productions and place its main focus on community activity. The Kiwanis Theatre must continue to be the communitys theatre and focus on being the home to local organizations. To this end, the Kiwanis Theatre should develop a strategy to improve local usage of the main theatre and Studio One, including a differential rental pricing model that would allow for lower rates to be offered to fill lower demand time slots (e.g. Mondays relative to Saturdays and summer relative to winter). Such a pricing model would optimize Kiwanis rentals now, and as the theatre moves forward. In short, staff should be empowered to make the deals necessary to keep the theatre busy. In addition to adopting a differential pricing rental policy, a plan to develop more rental activity for the Studio Theatre is also required. With a shift to a focus on serving community clients, the measurement for success at the Kiwanis Theatre will need to change.
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Most commercial theatres count paid attendance with the assumption that the more tickets sold the better the bottom-line. However, a municipal theatre like the Kiwanis has a mandate that extends beyond bottom-line results. Moreover, community programming, regardless of the ticket sales, does not impact the bottom line because rental rates do not change with the amount of tickets sold. Therefore, as the criteria for measuring its success, the Kiwanis Theatre must count the following: 1) attendance, 2) on-stage and backstage participation, 3) total participation (attendance and on and back stage participation), and 4) days in use. These measures must then be considered in light of: 5) the Kiwanis municipal subsidy. Here is a detailed guide for using the 5 criteria for measuring success: 1. The number of people that attended all shows over the course of a year (i.e. audience members should be counted on an annual basis and compared year to year. 2. The participation at an on-stage level (i.e. how many local actors, artists, and technicians, participated in all the community shows at the theatre) should be counted on an annual basis and compared year to year. 3. 3. The total active participation level (see 1 and 2) should be counted on an annual basis and compared year to year. This number would include audience members and community participants involved in staging the theatre event. 4. 4. Days in use vs. the entire calendar should be counted and compared year to year. Days not in use should also be calculated giving allowance for dark days (e.g. maintenance or capital projects). 5. 5. The above-mentioned metrics must be compared to the bottom-line results or the cost to the taxpayer, as determined by the size of the municipal subsidy. Combined, the above-mentioned five measurements will give the Kiwanis Theatre an excellent tool to measure its success vis--vis the Capitol Theatre. Reno vatio n needs A renovated Kiwanis Theatre is needed, and should address the following areas: Improved site-lines for the audience, in a smaller, better-raked auditorium. (the Kiwanis theatre is too big for a community theatre and should have seating numbers removed to improve the experience for the audience a 350-seat
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orchestra section plus a reconfigured balcony for a total seating of 450 500 would be excellent.) Wheel chair accessibility from the front of the building Several possible wheelchair locations in the auditorium An easy-to-access box office that is not backstage A reception space for group and corporate activity associated with a performance More (main floor) dressing room space that features showers and toilets A completed catwalk system A main floor green room Portable tiered seating to make the studio more comfortable
8.3 Collections and Acquisitions Clearly acquisitions and collections is one area where both the mandates of the Gallery and the Museum have been compromised by lack of space. In essence, both collecting organizations have put a hiatus on on-going collection until space and storage issues have been resolved. This has been at some expense to history and art: in both cases there have been artifacts and art unable to be accepted in good conscience because of these limitations. The proposed plan here will alleviate this difficulty and enable both collecting organizations to resume this essential activity. We suggest, however, that the collection policies of both organizations be re-visited to enable them to effectively deal with the volume of items that will likely be offered (particularly the Museum) when word of the new facility and storage potential is revealed. In both cases, these policies should spell out what is and is not acceptable in order to maintain the integrity of both collections. 8.4 Branding and Marketing When discussing branding and marketing we need first to define the terms more closely. Branding, or more specifically a bran ding strat egy , comprises the attributes that make up the way the CCC wants to be perceived by its audiences. Logos, wordmarks, jingles, colour choices, fonts are details and are based on the strategy. Marke ting is the process by which the CCC sells its ideas, products, services, or identity.
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This report does not lay out branding and marketing strategies, which are more rightly the purview of the CCC marketing staff. Rather, it recommends directions to guide their future development.1 The preparation of a branding and a marketing strategy for the CCC hinges on the answers to eight related issue questions. The answers to these issue questions provide a common understanding of marketing goals, the product, buying behaviour, branding strategy, and other fundamental marketing considerations . Without looking at these issue questions first, there will undoubtedly be wasted coverage, misallocated resources, incorrect messaging, and inefficient selection of media and timetables. Note that the following material assumes the following: 1. That the conclusions and recommendations are from the point-of-view of the CCC and the operating units within it. As such, these conclusions and recommendations seek to benefit the CCC, and not any other municipal facility. 2. That the situation is fluid with the impending opening of the Capitol Theatre, the proposed museum of natural history, and the possibility of moving either the Gallery or Museum. The following discussion attempts to take these possible developments into account but since details are sketchy, there will need to be a revisiting of the discussion when the development plans are finalized. 3. That no large increase in the marketing budget (both financial and staff) will be forthcoming in the short to medium term except as part of the launch of the building renovation and a grand re-opening (see Section 13). 4. That the Capitol will, in the main, stage commercial productions and that the Kiwanis will stage community productions. 5. That either the Gallery or the Museum may move out of the CCC. Issu e #1: Whose marke ting goals are param ount ? In marketing terms, there are at least five different (though related) sets of marketing goals. These are those of the Municipality, each operating unit in the CCC, and the CCC itself. Lets try to enumerate some of these goals. (As there is no formal articulation of the different goals, this enumeration is based on anecdotal information and the interviews.) The table below outlines these differences. Please
1 Tactics including logos and wordmarks come later. Details such as which media to buy, how big a print advertisement might be, the need for or placement of signage, or the colours used on a website are just so much detail and transitory depending on the event being sold or issue being communicated.
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note that for illustrative purposes, we have been rather black and white about stating the goals. There are, of course, exceptions and shades of grey but putting the goals so starkly assists in better understanding the situation. Marketing goals Municipality Expense Theatre Revenue Art Gallery Expense Museum Expense CCC Expense
Revenue or expense oriented (evaluative criteria) Purpose of marketing
Type of product Type of marketing implied Timelines Number of contacts needed with potential patrons to sell product
Communications rather than marketing Political Communications Yearly Ongoing
Ticket sales
Attendance
Attendance
Sponsorship/ partnership NA NA Yearly None
Event
Permanent collection Event-oriented Locationoriented Season Yearly Few Medium
Permanent collection Locationoriented Yearly Few
We can see above that the goals of the different actors are not always congruent. As a result, the marketing programmes of each can be quite different in media selection, timing and lead-time when talking to audiences, the timbre of messaging, and resource requirements. As an example, contrast the type of marketing that the Theatre would undertake with that of the Gallery. The Theatre aims at getting bums in the seats and is judged, in part, by the total net revenue that it garners. It is selling plays and performances that may last only a single performance. It is not the Theatre itself that induces a patron to come but rather the event itself. The inventory is perishable (use it or lose it). In contrast, the Gallery (and Museum to a lesser extent) has longer timelines. Events have a longer duration and its permanent collection doesnt require a patron to make an immediate decision to make a purchase. The marketing can be less frenetic. For the most part, the Gallery is not faced with a use it or lose it problem (except for visiting exhibits). Production and decision time lines can stretch out over a longer time which means the marketing activities it undertakes can likely be less expensive because it has more choices when it comes to 69
selecting media and the timing of the placement. In addition, the Gallery (and the Museum) should be willing to trade location for promotion. That is, allocate budget towards getting a better location rather than taking that same money and using it for advertising. Witness the appeal of ARTspace that is essentially location-based marketing. Aside from the different goals of each actor, each operating units marketing goals must work under the overall umbrella of the CCCs goals, which, in turn, must conform to the direction of the municipal corporation. It can be a tricky situation but each operating unit must attempt to attain its goal while at the same time not wounding any other unit. If resources (human, financial, and systems) were unlimited, there would be no issue here. By the same token, if marketing had little impact on a units overall goals (for example, an archive might be tasked with preserving rather than presenting), then again the ranking of marketing goals would also be of little importance. Each could go ahead and pursue its own ends. Unfortunately, neither situation exists and so a decision or an accommodation must be made about the priority of goals. Issu e #2: What is the produ ct? This question can be asked in different ways, such as: Is it the experience or the facility that you are selling or making appealing to potential patrons? Do people who come to the CCC come because of the existence of the building or because of the event, activity, or experience? Are we selling the experience or the location? Is the building itself so compelling that people will come to it regardless of the programming of the three venues? Is the building a destination in its own right? Does it matter that the three venues are in the same building? Are there synergies (other than incidental ones because a patron at intermission hunts down the washroom in the Gallery) from having the three venues in the same building? Does the adjacency of the venues create additional sales? Would the venues work just as well in different locations outside the CCC?
As expected, and as the interviewees report, the answers to the questions would be as follows:
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The experience rather than the building is the reason for a patrons visit The building is insufficiently distinguished to attract visits in its own right Adjacency has only a marginal impact on the sales of the units If the ARTspace experience is any indication (and we believe that it is, as does the Municipality if the desire to move it to the Pines is a sign), at least the Gallery benefits from a move out of the CCC
In the end, the CCC name is less important than the experiences provided by the individual venues within the envelope of the building. Moreover, the CCC itself and the coincidental location of the venues in it do not generate additional sales, one for the other. Issu e #3: Who are the prior ity targe t group s? The chart below shows the differences and similarities in target audiences of the operating units and the CCC itself. This assumes that the Capitol will specialize in large-audience commercial productions and the Kiwanis in community and smallaudience commercial productions. Priority of target audiences Theatre High High High High High High High Medium Low Low Gallery Medium Medium High Medium Medium Low Low Low Low High Museum Low High High High Medium Low Low Low Low Medium CCC NA NA NA NA Low Low High High Medium Low
Mom and pop Families Seniors School children Local media Producers Renters Sponsors Local businesses Tourists
One can see that the target audiences are in the end quite different. It means that a unified marketing strategy or one marketing campaign will not benefit all equally. In addition, the priority of different audiences means activities critical to one may have no use to another. A stark example of this is the need by the Theatre to entice private commercial producers to rent the hall. The Theatre needs this help on an ongoing basis and will need it even more once the Capitol Theatre is in the market for some of these same shows. Meanwhile, neither the Gallery nor the Museum 71
generally needs this type of marketing on an ongoing basis and even if they did, their target audiences would be made up of entirely different people and organizations. Notwithstanding the above, we expect that given the size of the community that there will be some overlap in the target groups that the venues will appeal to. The chart below shows by way of a Venn diagram some of these overlaps. We expect that the Museum and the Gallery will have a larger overlap in audiences than with the theatre. Overlap of target audiences
Issu e #4: What is the buyi ng beha viour of the patr ons of each faci lity? We can see that patrons use different decision criteria when it comes to making a purchase from each of the different operating units. Purchase in this case refers to both buying a ticket as well as making time to visit. Buying behaviours differ in the amount of commitment required by the patron, timing of his or her decision, difficulty of obtaining tickets for admissions, the impetus of the purchase, and the serendipity or spontaneity of the decision. For example,assuming the Museum is open; anyone can just drive up and have a visit. The Theatre on the other hand requires some planning.
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From a marketing point-of-view, this is reflected in the decision of location over promotion in the case of the Museum and Gallery. Unless the Gallery or Museum are significantly compelling destinations because of some specialty or weightiness of the collection, either would do well to ensure that it goes to the customer rather than have the customer come to it (the example of ARTspace again). The Theatre is in a different position; buyers are willing to come to it because of the event. Within reason, taking into account travel times, the Theatre could be almost anywhere and people would travel to it to see a show (for example, we understand the Capitol will be depending on tour bus trade, a case in point of the venues location being immaterial). Making the differences even starker is the possibility that, with the opening of the Capitol, both theatres will settle into a pattern in which the larger theatre takes on commercial productions while the Kiwanis specializes in community shows in which the primary audience is mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, uncles and aunts, and brothers and sisters. Their buying behaviour has more to do with loyalty to the family member or friend who is performing. It isnt even the show itself this time. Accordingly, the differences in buying behaviour must be reflected in the design of the marketing programmes of the different operating units that affects messages, timing, frequency, media selection, and a host of other decisions. Issu e #5: Who shoul d cont rol the alloc ation of the marke ting budge t, sche dulin g, auth oriza tions , messa ging, brand deve lopm ent, and other marke ting decis ions? At the moment, there is a single marketing officer responsible for the three operating units, along with four other municipal properties. The arrangement is for the officer to evenly divide her time and budget equally amongst her clients. The budget itself is peculiarly small (in the order of $10,000 per year) and the clients are assiduous in their demand for equal allocation of the officers effort/time regardless of their actual need. Interviewees report that the seven clients do not require equal marketing effort given their mandates, audiences, and programming. This beggar-thy-neighbour approach can but diminish the effectiveness of the marketing of those that actually need it. The Theatre in particular is affected by the current situation. It has the most events to promote, in the shortest amount of time, and has a need to promote to a large number of potential customers in order to sell a perishable good. Generally, the
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others do not have these challenges. The lack of resources results in a dependence on email shots to a small in-house list, a lack of repetition, and small runs of leaflets for the theatre. Granted, many productions depend on the parents and aunts and uncle market but just as may, if not more, do not. It is these later that suffer the most. Issu e #6: What impa ct will movin g the Art Gall ery or Museu m have on CCC marke ting ? In marketing and branding terms, what would be the affect on the remaining operating units and the CCC itself if one or more of the units were to move out of the building (we assume that the Theatre cannot move but the Museum and Gallery can)? What would be the likely changes to the way audiences think of the CCC and its venues? Here are some possible marketing scenarios in which the CCC and its venues are packaged or not packaged together: The focus is on the individual venues, using the CCC to identify the location of the venues Under this scenario, we can expect that if the Museum or the Gallery move neither would not be unduly affected since neither draws strength from the others marketing activities. On the other hand, the venue that relocates will need to re-establish the idea of its location. If the gallery moved to the Pines for instance it will need to declare to its audiences that it is no longer the TAG at the CCC but the TAG at the Pines. The focus is on the CCC; each venues identity takes second place We would expect the movement of the Gallery or the Museum will have a lesser impact on the whole. There is likely a short period of time when the ratings drop as a favourite has moved on but eventually the strength of the whole compensates for the movement. This presupposes that the cast replacement is strong (i.e. a new CCC venue) or that the existing cast members pick up the slack (i.e. the Theatre or the remaining Gallery or Museum increases the value of its programming). The CCCs identity is interlinked with the three venues (i.e. one cannot be thought of without thinking of the others) This would be analogous to a hand made up of fingers. Remove a finger and the hand is not seen the same way. From a marketing point of view, given the ongoing discussions about moving the Gallery and perhaps the Museum, this is the most dangerous scenario. Not only does it require resources to create the idea in the publics mind that the CCC and its venues are like a hand, once a unit moves out, it requires resources to convince the public that the new circumstance is of equal weight as the original.
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No connection between the venues, and no connection between the venues and the CCC This is essentially the case today. The move of one or the other would have little impact on the image of the CCC or its venues since there is no connection between them in the publics mind.
Issu e #7: What is the val ue of the moni ker, Chat ham Cult ural Cent re? The CCC buildings long and colourful history in the community gives it a lingering identity and recognition. In some ways, the CCC and its venues act together like retailers in a shopping mall. However, unlike many shopping malls, there does not appear to be an anchor tenant upon which the identity of the mall (the CCC) takes its lead. In the case of the CCC, all three venues can be thought of as anchor tenants, which muddies the CCC identity. In assessing the value of the CCC name, we should consider the following: As a draw in its own right Does the facility itself generate revenues because potential patrons say to themselves, We should go over to the CCC and see what is going on. This would be akin to someone saying, Lets go to the mall and see what is going on. Is it a likely scenario that even if an enormous amount of resources were expended to sell the CCC itself (as opposed to the individual venues), this would cause people to just wander down? As an indication of the Theatre, Gallery, or Museums location The use of CCC as part of a venues identity may be as a sign of its location rather than as a way to strengthen the identity of the venue itself. This may be necessary if the venue feels that it is difficult to find otherwise and must trade on potential patrons recognizing the CCCs location. However, using the CCC as a means to locate the venue means that there needs to be resources used to ensure that patrons know where it is. You may also need to use CCC in the venues identifiers if the venue is not properly or prominently signed in its own right. It is like having to advertise your business as located in the back corner of such and-such a mall because mall regulations will not allow you a flashing neon light with arrows at the front of the building. Another way of thinking about this: If the CCC places a sign downtown, what would get bigger play? The CCC or the individual venue? Since it is the venues that are generating revenue and admissions, it would be the venue that has the headline. Increasing the possibility of sales and admission Does the venues tenancy in the CCC increase the appeal of the event or activity? If a potential visitor/buyer knows that the event, exhibit, or activity is taking place in a venue in the CCC, is the person more likely to make a purchase or make a visit?
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We should also consider if the existence of the CCC name affects community pride. This is outside the marketing discussion; however we expect that the existence of the name does not substantially increase pride though its erasure may negatively affect it. Interviewees do not feel there is strong equity in the name and so any positive or negative impact is little and short term. Another way of thinking of this: How much uproar would arise if the naming rights were sold for the building? One further issue: If it were true that the existing name has little equity, would it make any difference to sales and attendance if the CCC became the CKCC (Chatham-Kent Cultural Centre)? Or perhaps more pithily, the CC as has been suggested? There appears, however, to be common understanding that the current name does not reflect a municipal-wide facility. Issu e #8: Shoul d the opera ting units opera te unde r a commo n brand ing (and marke ting ) strate gy or sepa rate ly? When discussing a common marketing strategy we are not talking about bulk buying or single production trafficking. These administrative details should occur if for no other reason than there is not enough of this work to warrant separate administrators for each operating unit. Rather, the questions you have to ask yourself are more elemental: Would the operating units hit their goals more effectively marketing together or apart? Is there enough commonality of purpose to overcome their differences? Are the overlaps on the Venn diagram large or small? Would there be cost saving from marketing together; sufficient to overcome the increased costs and inefficiencies? What are the benefits of marketing together versus being apart?
Our expectation from observation, the experience of other facilities, and the interviews is that given the varying target audiences it would make little difference to their success if the operating units market themselves together as if they were part of the same institution.
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Conc lusions and recom menda tions We recommend the following to guide the preparation of an overall marketing strategy and the annual promotional campaigns: 1. Marke ting goals The Municipalitys overall economic development and lifestyle goals are paramount. The goals of the CCC and the goals of its operating units must conform to these broader goals. Within the Municipalitys goals, each operating unit should strive to attain its own marketing goals within the umbrella of the CCCs marketing goals.
2. The produ ct The marketing of events and activities should take precedence over the marketing of the CCC as a destination. The operating units should focus on the experience that each will provide its patrons rather than focusing on selling the CCC.
3. Targe t group s Each operating unit should pursue the target groups that best serve its particular goals rather than trying to force-fit disinterested target groups into its marketing scheme. This will alleviate the possibility of burning out recipients as they receive inappropriate messages as well as mitigate waste coverage. This is particularly pertinent in the selection of media other than indiscriminate email blasts. This is also reflected in scheduling of messages, the tone and content of messages, and the frequency and repetition of contacts. Given the severely limited allocations for marketing, email and low volume print will very likely continue to be the main media used (not necessarily because of efficiency but because that is all that can be afforded). It therefore behooves the CCC to look for further earned media opportunities, an increased and better aged and qualified contact list (which in itself can be an expensive administrative proposition), and to adjust the perceived price/value ratio of the product downwards.
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4. Buyin g beha viour Except in special circumstances such as Black History Month programming at which time the three venues may wish to coordinate its events, the operating units should direct their marketing to best serve their own goals. Even when programming together, the units need to recognize that the Theatre will likely still need to structure its pitch different than the others since the motivation of sales will be quite different than the others.
5. Cont rol A detailed marketing strategy for the CCC is beyond the scope of this engagement. However, it appears that the seven units and facilities (plus the CCC itself) do not require the same amount of marketing assistance to meet its goals. Taking into account that some can or should use their location in lieu of promotion to attract audiences, the equal allocation of the marketing budget should be reviewed. The Municipality should develop a more detailed and comprehensive marketing strategy for its cultural assets in order to establish a more appropriate allocation of resources.
6. Impa ct of movi ng Galle ry or Museu m Given the uncertainty about whether the Museum or the Gallery will move from the CCC, the operating units should continue to set their marketing agendas independently. In the longer term, the term CCC should be used only an indication of the location of the venues rather than as a reason for visitation.
7. Valu e of monik er, CCC We expect that the value of the CCC name is low and given the regularity with which the suggestion of jettisoning the name appears, we expect that the community does not assign much equity to it. We concur. As a result, we would not use any resources to improve the visibility of the name itself except for the following purposes: When the venues use the CCC as a means to identify their location. At that point, the Municipality will need to ensure that highway markers,
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downtown directional signs, and other wayfinding show the CCC name prominently along side the individual names of the venues. When using CCC as a locator for audiences which are unfamiliar with the unit. For instance, the whole description of the Theatre might be The Kiwanis Theatre at the CCC or the whole description of the Gallery might be The Thames Gallery at the CCC. Doing this, however, would necessitate using resources to promote the CCC so that it is actually meaningful to say that such-and-such is at the CCC.
8. Opera ting unde r a common brand ing and marke ting stra tegy The three operating units should continue to make their own plans for marketing their activities and events. No over-all branding strategy should be developed for the CCC itself.
A final thought: One might conclude from the above discussion that the effort to jointly market the three venues would be fruitless. There are, however, certain circumstances in which a marketing partnership would be of value. Each case is situational. These include the following: Joint programming arising from a common theme such as during Black History Month Events such as conferences in which the Theatre is the meeting place and the Gallery and Museum are also utilized (e.g. an awards or conference) The pitch for a CCC-wide sponsorship such as naming rights, product placement (such as featuring a product), or performance and exhibition programme advertising
8.5 Community Outreach Currently, the Thames Art Gallery, through ARTspace on King Street, is reaching outside the four walls of the CCC to provide Chatham-Kents residents with a venue for the display and sale of works by local artists. The early success of this initiative suggests that, as resources permit, the initiative might be expanded to other communities in Chatham-Kent. For its part, the Chatham-Kent Museum currently liaises, on an informal basis, with other museum and heritage sites located throughout the Municipality. This activity, which brings the expertise of the museums coordinator to the Municipalitys other heritage assets, is one that could grow and develop over time. Conceivably,
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meetings could be held on an ad-hoc or semi-annual basis to discuss issues of mutual concern and opportunities for collaboration and synergy related to cultural tourism. 8.6 Cultural Tourism In 2007, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent undertook a cultural planning initiative led by the Toronto-based firm AuthentiCity. A component of this cultural planning initiative included a strategy for cultural tourism development. The strategy, entitled, Building Capacity, Realizing Opportunities: Cultural Tourism in ChathamKent, contains a series of recommendations designed, over time, to grow Chatham-Kents cultural tourism industry. With respect to cultural tourism, a renovated and renewed CCC with increased display space for the collections of Chatham-Kent Museum and the Thames Art Gallery, complemented by a revitalized Kiwanis Theatre working collaboratively with the Capitol Theatre, represents a significant cultural tourism asset for the Municipality. Accordingly, in its efforts to capitalize on the tourism opportunity inherent in the CCC, we encourage the Municipality to implement the recommendations contained in Building Capacity, Realizing Opportunities. These recommendations, which will serve all of the Municipalitys cultural tourism assets including the CCC, are as follows: 1. That all of the market-ready cultural tourism experiences [identified in Chatham-Kent] be clustered in a section of the Chatham-Kent Visitors Guide that is dedicated to cultural tourism. 2. That the Visitors Guide be reconceived as a marketing vehicle that is not dependent exclusively on advertiser revenues, thereby allowing the Guide or a portion of the Guide - to function as a lure. 3. That Chatham-Kent Tourism develop and distribute a lure brochure that is separate from its Visitors Guide. The distribution of such a lure brochure would be less costly than the distribution of the Visitors Guide, thereby allowing the Visitors Guide to function as fulfillment. 4. That a reconceived, stand-alone web site that is distinct from the Municipalitys web site be developed to promote tourism to Chatham-Kent. Such a web site would share common design aesthetics and content with the Visitors Guide while offering the user an itinerary planning function complemented by a range of tourism search tools and features.
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5. Given that main travel purpose of 40 percent of the municipalitys overnight visitors is visiting friends or relatives, that an in-market effort be undertaken to promote Chatham-Kents cultural experiences to the municipalitys residents to help reach the oft-neglected VFR market. 6. That, in conjunction with a reconceived Visitors Guide and web site, a tourism brand be developed for Chatham-Kent that embraces the full range of tourism experiences on offer in the municipality, both cultural and recreational. 8.7 Organization and Governance
Although it is perhaps outside the scope of the work defined for this Master Plan, we recommend that, in assessing the CCC vis--vis the Municipalitys overall cultural development, Chatham-Kent consider establishing a management position responsible for directing the full range of the Municipalitys involvement in arts, heritage, and culture. The responsibilities of the manager of cultural development would include overseeing the operations at the CCC (which would retain its own manager), working with Chatham-Kent Economic Development Services to help grow the Municipalitys creative economy, working with Chatham-Kent Tourism to ensure that the Municipalitys cultural tourism opportunities are realized, overseeing the special events function within the Municipality (which is currently the responsibility of the manager of the CCC), and identifying and leading all development opportunities related to arts, heritage, and culture. A growing number of Ontario municipalities have cultural managers, cultural development managers, or cultural supervisors. Among small and mid-sized cities, a partial list includes Collingwood, Owen Sound, Kitchener, Waterloo, Windsor, St. Catharines, Kingston, Vaughan, and Oakville. In addition, the City of Cambridge intends to hire a cultural development manager, while the City of Guelph is currently recruiting a supervisor of culture. In our view, the range of strategic challenges and opportunities for cultural development within Chatham-Kent, combined with the emergence of culture as a key quality of life determinant and driver in the knowledge economy, warrants due consideration of a management position dedicated to cultural development.
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8.8
Resources: Funding
The five-year operating costs that we have projected for the CCC (see Part C), along with the capital costs we have estimated for the CCCs renovation (see Section 8.1.3), will require significant new investments on the part of the Municipality. Ultimately, it is the Municipalitys responsibility to ensure that the CCCs operations and services, and physical plant, meet the communitys need. That said, we believe that significant opportunities exist to secure financial support for the CCC from sources outside the Municipality. With respect to sources of funding to assist the CCCs operations and services, we note that the CCC does not currently engage in fundraising efforts that are designed to augment its earned revenues. The absence of fundraising efforts undertaken by the CCC is related to two issues: Although the managers of each of the CCCs three venues pursue funding through available provincial and federal programs, no CCC staff is dedicated to fundraising within the community. Neither is CCC staff dedicated to fundraising for the CCC as a whole. The CCCs three advisory committees are not charged with a fundraising responsibility.
In light of these two issues, we recommend that the CCC undertake a fundraising audit to: (a) determine the range of potential funding opportunities that exist, and (b) determine how staff and volunteer resources might be deployed to realize funding opportunities. With respect to the CCCs operations and services, the fundraising audit that we are proposing would examine the following: The potential for corporate sponsorships for a range of CCC program activities, including the presenting series in the Kiwanis Theatre, Friday Night Jazz in Studio One, exhibitions at the Thames Art Gallery, the Thames Alternative Film Festival, exhibitions at the Chatham-Kent Museum, and the CCCs various education programs. The potential for corporate sponsorships for the CCCs advertising programs and media promotions, including the new downtown kiosk/reader board that we are proposing.
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The potential for corporate naming for a variety of spaces within the CCC, particularly at such time as the CCCs renovation and/or expansion is approved. A program for individual bequests and planned giving. (Note: We recommend that such a program not be instituted until after the CCCs renovation and/or expansion.)
In addition to identifying funding opportunities to support the CCCs operations and services, the fundraising audit would also survey non-Municipal funding sources to support the capital renovations that are costed in this Master Plan. These funding sources would include: The federal governments new Southern Ontario Development Agency 2 (SODA), which has been mandated with $1 billion available over the next five years to stimulate southern Ontarios economy. The next iteration of Ontarios SuperBuild infrastructure program, or its equivalent. A corporate or service club donation in return for re-naming the CCC.3 The new South West Economic Alliance 4 (SWEA), which, although it is not a funding agency, could leverage support for Chatham-Kents creative economy overall, including the CCC.
Concerning the staff and volunteer resources that might be deployed to realize fundraising opportunities to support the CCCs operations and services, we recommend that the Municipality consider the possibility of a new CCC staff resource dedicated to maximizing the CCCs fundraising revenues. We also recommend that due consideration be given to redrafting the terms of reference for the CCCs volunteer committees such that each committee would be charged with helping the CCC to fundraise. Although such a responsibility is ordinarily the purview of a governing board and not an advisory committee, we believe the origins of the CCC within the community, a facility that was established through community advocacy and fundraising, support expanding the role of the CCCs advisory committees to embrace a fundraising function.
2 3 4
In response to the effects of the economic recession on southern Ontario, the federal government announced the creation of SODA in the January 2009 budget. In 2002, the Kelowna Community Arts Centre was re-named the Rotary Centre for the Arts in return for a $1 million donation from Kelownas Rotary clubs. Established in 2008, SWEA is a non-profit entity governed by municipal political leadership in Southern Ontario. SWEA expressly recognizes culture and tourism as sectors to be developed and promoted in the service of the regions economic development.
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8.9 Resources: Staffing and Volunteers 8.9. 1 Addit ional Staff and Trai ning Requi remen ts In order to expand on-site, an additional full-time and two part-time positions are recommended. These will include a full-time marketing position devoted to marketing and fundraising, and two part-time positions (24 hours per week each) for the expanded maintenance functions. Regardless of expansion, it is recommended that a full-time Box Office/Front of House Supervisor and one parttime box office clerk (20 hours per week) be hired to support the additional workload of the Capitol Theatre ticketing requirements. The Box Office/FOH Supervisor position would be devoted to running the Box Office including supervising the part-time staff as well as managing the front of house activities, including supervising House Managers, Volunteer Ushers, Bar staff and operation of concessions. The addition of these staff will assist the CCC in turning the Box Office into a profit centre. If one of the venues were moved off site, the above staff would still be needed plus one administrative staff at the new venue that could be part-time at 24 hours per week. In addition to the number of staff proper, there is likely additional opportunity for enhanced cross-training of staff. For example, right now staff is not certified to use the "Man-Lift" or "Genie-Lift" that we have at the CCC. Especially with the pending opening of the Capitol Theatre and the potential sharing of staff, it would be very useful to have them more technically trained then they are now. 8.9. 2 Long er-Term Poten tial for Over all Depar tmen t of Arts and Cult ure Although it is perhaps outside the scope of the work defined for this Master Plan, we recommend that, in assessing the CCC vis--vis the Municipalitys overall cultural development, Chatham-Kent consider establishing a management position responsible for directing the full range of the Municipalitys involvement in arts, heritage, and culture. The responsibilities of the manager of cultural development would include overseeing the operations at the CCC (which would retain its own manager), working with Chatham-Kent Economic Development Services to help grow the Municipalitys creative economy, working with Chatham-Kent Tourism to ensure
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that the Municipalitys cultural tourism opportunities are realized, overseeing the special events function within the Municipality (which is currently the responsibility of the manager of the CCC), and identifying and leading all development opportunities related to arts, heritage, and culture. A growing number of Ontario municipalities have cultural managers, cultural development managers, or cultural supervisors. Among small and mid-sized cities, a partial list includes Collingwood, Owen Sound, Kitchener, Waterloo, Windsor, St. Catharines, Kingston, Vaughan, and Oakville. In addition, the City of Cambridge intends to hire a cultural development manager, while the City of Guelph is currently recruiting a supervisor of culture. In our view, the range of strategic challenges and opportunities for cultural development within Chatham-Kent, combined with the emergence of culture as a key quality of life determinant and driver in the knowledge economy, warrants due consideration of a management position dedicated to cultural development. Finally, we note volunteers. Without changing individual volunteer affiliations, consider creating an overall CCC Volunteer category, to encourage a feeling of connection and synergy between members. Coordinated training might be facilitated or encouraged. Also there could be crossover opportunities for those volunteers so wishing, so they could become involved in all three entities. 8.10 Resources: Technology By technology we mean those aspects of technology that are required in order to provide the types of programming that will be demanded by the audiences of the future. (This is as opposed to new HVAC technologies such as energy efficient furnaces which we would assume part of the capital cost of upgrading and expanding the facilities). There are several categories to think of in this regard. These are: Technologies to enhance the interpretive experience in the Museum and, likely to a lesser extent, the Gallery these will relate to the ability to provide interactive and more dynamic experiences; Technologies associated with the Theatre, in order to enhance the range of effects and experiences possible (including the sound system); Communications technologies such as videoconferencing, that would allow, as an example, more effective connections between the CCC in Chatham and the cultural facilities in outlying communities; and
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Internet-based technologies to enhance the effectiveness of marketing and educational experiences available through the CCC web site (e.g. Downloadable product).
CCC will need to become more active and able in all these areas. In all cases, these represent interesting partnership opportunities that could be considered, as they would position the partner as being on the leading edge of technology, to a comparatively educated and literate audience. We recommend, then, that these sorts of technology partnerships be pursued wherever possible by CCC (see the next Section). 8.11 Resources: Partnerships We use the term partnerships in different ways, each way involving different partners and outcomes. For example: Driv e traff ic and/o r sale s to the CCC In this case, the purpose is to increase the CCCs admissions and attendance without necessarily increasing revenues for the potential partner. The partner may have different goals than driving traffic or does not benefit this way. An example of this situation is the parents of children who are appearing in a community production at the Kiwanis. The CCC, through these parents, appeals to friends and relatives to come to the shows. Family packs are a way to get parents to sell on behalf of the Theatre. Another example is school-group visits to the Museum or the Gallery in which the school board is the partner. The school board has very different goals than the CCCs operating units. In this case, an understanding of study modules and school pedagogical needs is required, along with communications with the school boards community liaison. Comm unit y good The CCC can also assist community partners to reach their goals without necessarily benefiting the CCC outright. This altruistic motive includes providing meeting spaces for community organizations or involving CCC staff in community activities (such as lending photographs for the events of other organizations). There is no immediate monetary benefit to the CCC; rather, there is a longer-term benefit in a strong connection with the community.
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Comp leme ntar y sale s In this case, both partners derive a monetary benefit. A good example is the CCCs relationship with the BIA. The CCCs participation in BIA festivals and special events allows the BIA to increase the value of its event to visitors/shoppers while the CCC benefits by the increased foot traffic willing to make the trek across Tecumseh Park. In this scenario, the CCC needs to be aware of upcoming BIA events (and the events of similar partners) to plan its own complementary activities. Volu ntee rism - There is a fourth kind of partnering: with volunteers. The typical gallery, museum, or community theatre would be hard pressed to function without a group of committed volunteers.
Given the small amount of funding available for the CCCs marketing, partnerships are an important opportunity to extend CCCs marketing reach. To drive traffic and/or generate complementary sales, we recommend that the CCC move to a greater emphasis on developing co-op advertising, joint marketing campaigns, and complementary programming with partners rather than going it alone. This partnering orientation should also extend to considering media and production volume purchasing agreements and joint distribution agreements. In addition, the CCC should review its volunteer recruitment, retention, and recognition programme to ensure that it suits the needs of the volunteers, the units, and the organization itself. 1. 8.12 Responsibilities of arts and culture organizations and individuals Do existing organizations and individuals have an obligation to make the CCC work? Is there self-interest that should drive this obligation other than altruism? What do existing organizations and individuals gain by having a strengthened CCC? It is self-evident that a cultural centre is a critical component to the wellbeing and future growth of a community. The question arises, however: Does the CCC have the right combination of function and form? There is also the issue of the phys ical manifestation as opposed to the idea of a cultural centre. Should the obligation be to the idea or to the building? Let us pull the question of obligation apart.
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In a community the size of Chatham-Kent, with its configuration, history, and cultural aspirations, a cultural centre helps to provide social cohesion to the community. Its existence is a signal of the complexity and sophistication of the community to residents, potential investors, businesses, and visitors. Accordingly, the CCC itself is, in essence, a physical expression of that idea. That said, the building with its history, long-time connection with the community and the loyal patronage of residents makes the CCC more than just an idea. It is part of the family of familiar routines that helps define what it means to be a resident. You know you are home because the CCC is part of the furniture. The CCC has a variety of community uses that would be hard to duplicate without considerable effort and expense. The Theatre, Gallery, Museum, the CCCs meeting rooms and other spaces would be costly, inconvenient, or perhaps even impossible to replace. The idea of the CCC is no less useful in defining the community to potential new businesses and inventors. The CCC is a signal of the attractiveness of the community and indicative of other amenities that are available. If there is a cultural centre, there must be lots for the family to do. This is certainly no backwater. Is there an obligation for existing organizations and individuals to make the CCC a success? We would say firmly, Yes. There is much to gain from a re-energized CCC, and much to lose by maintaining the status quo.
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Part C. Financial analysis and sustainability
9. Five-Year Operating Costs and Revenue Forecast 10. Return on Investment to Community
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Section 9
Five-Year Operating Costs and Revenue Forecast
9.1 Underlying Assumptions The following are the operating and financial assumptions used to generate operating cost and revenue forecasts. Assumptions Base Budget Scenario A 25,500 SF expansion of CCC Scenario B 21,200 SF expansion of CCC Scenario C 13,200 Expansion of CCC and 13,300 SF off site As in Scenario A
Revenues Membership
$2,000
Admissions (theatre only)
$115,150
Rentals (theatre)
$54,350
Box office commission, service recovery
$35,590
Gallery exhibitions
$3,500
Increases to $8,000 (current projection), then by $1,000 per year Assume 33,000 paid admissions drops by 10% (competition from Capitol) - $3.49 base per visitor, increases to $4.50 using a $1 capital improvement surcharge then by inflation Increase by $5,000 since will likely rent for more days, then by inflation Increase by $15,000 as a result of ticket commissions from Capitol Theatre, then inflation $15,000, then by inflation (2008 actuals were $15,070)
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
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Childrens, school programs Workshops
$44,125
$12,596
Grants Sponsorships
$60,414 $8,900
Donations
$7,316
Increase by 10% to reflect increased utilization, then by inflation Increase by 10% to reflect increased utilization, then by inflation Remain stable Drops by $6,000 (Expressions terminated), then increases by $1,000 per year because of fundraising activities Increase by $5,000 first year (more aggressive fundraising) then by $1,000 per year
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
As in Scenario A
Total Revenues Expenses Staffing
$343,941 $935,961 Add 1 FT marketing & 2 PT maintenance, 1 FT box office supervisor & 1 PT box office staff ($154,000), then by inflation Terminate Expressions ($6,000 savings) then Increases by inflation Existing facility allocation cost is $4.67 per SF for 30,587 SF; assume this per SF cost is applied to the extra 25,400 SF required Increases by staffing cost increment and inflation As in Scenario A As in Scenario A - In addition, 1 PT administrative staff ($35,000) required at offsite facility
Programming
$268,366
Facility
$142,929
Other
$42,904
Apply existing cost per SF applied to additional 21,200 incremental SF, plus inflation As in Scenario A
Existing cost per SF applied to additional 14,600 SF plus 13,300 SF at $6 per SF in the new Museum facility As in Scenario A with added staffing above
Total Expenses Total Net Expenses
$1,390,160 $1,046,219
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9.2 Revenue and Expense Projections Based on the above assumptions, the projections of revenues and expenses for the first five years of operation would be as follows. CCC Revenue and Expense Projections -- Scenario A CCC Function 2009 Base Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Expenses Staffing $935,961 $1,089,961 $1,105,220 $1,120,694 $1,136,383 $1,152,293 Programs $268,366 $262,366 $266,039 $269,764 $273,540 $277,370 Facility $142,929 $261,631 $265,294 $269,008 $272,775 $276,593 Other $42,904 $49,963 $50,663 $51,372 $52,091 $52,821 Total Expenses $1,390,160 $1,663,922 $1,687,217 $1,710,838 $1,734,789 $1,759,076 Revenues Grants -$60,414 -$60,414 -$60,414 -$60,414 -$60,414 -$60,414 Donations -$7,316 -$12,316 -$13,316 -$14,316 -$15,316 -$16,316 Sponsorships -$8,900 -$2,900 -$3,900 -$4,900 -$5,900 -$6,900 Commission, serv. -$35,590 -$50,590 -$51,590 -$52,590 -$53,590 -$54,590 Recovery, bar Memberships -$2,000 -$8,000 -$9,000 -$10,000 -$11,000 -12000 Theatre admissions -$115,150 -$133,650 -$134,650 -$135,650 -$136,650 -$137,650 Gallery exhibitions -$3,500 -$15,000 -$15,210 -$15,423 -$15,639 -$15,858 Rent -$54,350 -$59,350 -$60,181 -$61,023 -$61,878 -$62,744 Children's, school -$44,125 -$48,538 -$49,217 -$49,906 -$50,605 -$51,313 Workshops -$12,596 -$13,856 -$14,050 -$14,246 -$14,446 -$14,648 Total Revenues -$343,941 -$404,613 -$411,528 -$418,469 -$425,437 -$432,433 Net Expenses $1,046,219 $1,259,309 $1,275,689 $1,292,369 $1,309,352 $1,326,643 Note: (1) To be consistent with municipal and CCC budgeting practices, revenues are shown as negative numbers. The 2009 base budget above shows the CCC with total expenses of $1,390,160 offset by revenues of $343,941 giving net expenses of $1,046,219. Assuming the full expansion on the existing site (Scenario A), the existing deficit would increase by $213,090 (20%) in the first year following expansion, increasing to about $1,327,000 five years later. Under Scenario B, the somewhat lower operating costs would mean net expenses would be approximately $21,000 lower than in Scenario A in year 5. Under
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Scenario C, where the Museum is assumed to be moved off site, the net expenses are approximately $70,000 more than in Scenario A. These are shown below: Net Expenses (Deficit) for Each Scenario Net Expenses Scenario A Scenario B Scenario C Base $1,046,219 $1,046,219 $1,046,219 Year 1 $1,259,309 $1,239,681 $1,325,241 Year 2 $1,275,689 $1,255,786 $1,342,545 Year 3 $1,292,369 $1,272,188 $1,360,160 Year 4 $1,309,352 $1,288,888 $1,378,093 Year 5 $1,326,643 $1,305,893 $1,396,346
9.3. Ways and Means to Take Care of Operating Deficit It is assumed the operating deficit will be covered by the Municipality. The alternative would be to cover some of the deficit with aggressive annual fundraising that has not been a practice of the CCC historically. In this regard it should be noted that a comparison of Chatham-Kent with its standard benchmark communities suggests that there may be some justification for the municipality to increase its financial support of the arts in order to be on a par with its peers (see Appendix B of this document).
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Section 10
Return on Investment to Community
Investment in the CCC will have a return to the community in a number of ways. Some of these are tangible and economic in nature, and can be measured to determine an implied value. Others are non-economic in nature, and relate to community value in other ways. These include: Econ omic Measu res: 1. Econo mic impa ct of visi tors and tourism: Insofar as the programs and activities of the CCC attract visitors to the community, who then spend time and money in Chatham-Kent, there will be an economic benefit to the community. This is as a result of visitors expenditures being re-circulated within the community, helping to support businesses and create jobs. Economic impact models (such as the Ontario Ministry of Tourism TREIM Tourism Regional Economic Impact Model) are well-accepted ways of measuring this incremental economic benefit to the community. While the CCC will have some economic benefit in this regard, it is largely a venue serving the local community, and therefore should not be expected to act as an economic engine in the way that (say) the Capitol Theatre might. 2. Econo mic impa ct of CCC expe nditu re: Another economic injection into the community will be the expenditure of the CCC itself, both in the form of the wages and salaries it provides to employees in the community (who in turn spend money of groceries, gas, etc.) and in the various goods and services it purchases from the community (everything from office supplies to catered lunches to utilities). Like tourist expenditure, the cumulative effect of the circulation of this expenditure can be measured through TREIM. 3. Enhan ceme nt of Chath am-Kent as a place to live: The works of Richard Florida and others amply demonstrate that an attractive community offering a wide range of amenities including cultural facilities will be more attractive to
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relatively mobile individuals and entrepreneurs who are seeking where they wish to live. These individuals (the so-called Creative Class) are those who are more likely to invest in or create businesses. Thus investing in cultural facilities such as the CCC is actually an economic development strategy. 4. Creat ion of a cultu ral clus ter: Another economic impact, although less tangible and measurable, will be the catalytic effect of investment in the CCC upon the surrounding area and the community overall. Any public project of this nature (i.e., the renovation of the CCC) sends a strong signal of confidence in the future to the community overall, and this can be echoed through private sector investment in shops, restaurants, and the like. Cultural projects that are known to attract residents and visitors to a particular location in the community are especially dynamic in this regard. Soci al Measu res: 1. Provi sion of cultu ral oppor tuni ties: The major benefit of the CCC upon the community is not directly measurable in an economic sense. This benefit relates to the provision of opportunities to community residents for engagement with the arts either through observation and reflection (as in a visit to the Theatre, Museum or Gallery) or through participation (e.g. participation in a production mounted at the Kiwanis Theatre). As stated at the outset of this Report, the provision of such opportunities is a measure of a healthy community, and one clear way in which the return on investment to the community can be considered. 2. Provi sion of volu nteer oppor tuni ties: Another measure of a health community lies in the provision of volunteer opportunities. These could in turn be of a variety of forms opportunities for young people to develop job-relevant experience, or to fulfill high school volunteer time requirements; opportunities for social engagement for adults; opportunities for continued learning and development for older adults. 3. Community pride: As previously mentioned, the convergence of the three activities of the CCC in the one facility is a fairly unique occurrence. Residents of the community should be proud of the visionary achievement of putting these three together, and of maintaining the CCC to a high standard of excellence for the community (assuming that the recommendations from this study are largely adopted).
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Thus there are a number of ways in which the return on investment to the Municipality can be visualized. The accountability system developed in Section 15 of this Report suggests ways in which these measures can be incorporated into a tracking and measurement system.
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Part D. Implementation
11. Roles and Responsibilities 12. Resource Requirements 13. Communications and Awareness Building 14. Accountability
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Section 11
Roles and Responsibilities
There are several organizations and agencies that will have a role in implementing the Master Plan developed here. These agencies, and the key actions required of each, are: Actors Council Major Responsibilities consideration of these recommendations voting on staff report general support of arts and culture activities of the community generally and the CCC specifically review this Report and recommendations act in accordance with Council directives on day-to-day basis, maximize communication, coordination and cooperation support the CCC as required consider ways and means to broaden representation along lines presented in this Report encourage other C-K residents to consider membership patronize all three venues of the CCC act as ambassadors throughout the Municipality for the CCC consider using the CCC in various activities and events consider using the CCC in various activities and events consider sponsorship opportunities consider visiting / supporting the CCC
CCC Staff
Other Municipal Staff Advisory Committee Members CCC Members
Other Stakeholder Groups Corporate Sector General Community
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Section 12
Resource Requirements
Based on whichever scenario is chosen, the sources of funding for the project are envisaged to be approximately as follows: Federal Government Provincial Government Municipality of Chatham-Kent Community and CCC Fundraising 1/3 1/3 1/6 1/6
This follows a fairly usual funding formula where a third of the cost of the arts/culture project comes from each of the three levels of government. Often the local municipal component is in turn split between the municipality, which commits to half of the local share (i.e. one-sixth of the total) and the local community, which fundraises for the remaining sixth share. While this is a standard funding model, the actual reality is often shaped by commitments already received. These may be a major agreement for naming rights, exclusive supplier deals for certain goods or services, public-private partnerships, etc. One of our recommendations is that an additional full-time marketing and fundraising position be established, whose job (in part) will be to investigate and secure such opportunities.
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Section 13
Communications and Awareness Building
Given the analysis to this point and its conclusion that a redeveloped CCC is financially sustainable, we have prepared a communications plan to inform the community of the benefits of the redevelopment and re-launch. This section outlines a communications campaign leading up to the re-opening of the CCC and afterwards. The campaign design assumes the following: A communications subcommittee is appointed that reports to the project steering committee. This subcommittee may include both members of the steering committee as well as interested members of the community. The members must be comfortable making public presentations A spokesperson is appointed who is committed to the project and comfortable making public presentations. This person will act as the focus of much of the communications work. This may be a municipal councilor or a member of the arts and culture community. There is a minimal budget available for communications. Accordingly, the labour of volunteers, communications committee members, and municipal staff will compensate for what in lacking in financial resources. Volunteers including the stakeholder groups will be the main channel by which information is conveyed to the community. The communications programme will be aimed at all residents of Chatham Kent and organizations in the wider area, not just the residents of the old city of Chatham. Given the nature and availability of resources to undertake the campaign we have avoided communications tools that require long lead times, large staff resources, and complicated production cycles. The renovations to the coca will occur in phases so that different parts of the building are still operating over the duration of the construction.
This section begins with a statement of the communications goals, which then leads to identifying the target audiences that must be reached in order to meet the
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goals. We consider the likely motivations of these target audiences and the actions we anticipate they will take. While the core messages about the project are the same for all the target audiences, each individual target audience will get a variation that is appropriate to the actions we want them to take. These messages are outlined in the following section. The section concludes with a description of the resources needed, the steps of the preparation and roll out of the communications campaign, and the timing of the activities. 13.1 Communications Goals
The campaigns design is predicated on several premises, including the following: The CCCs re-development is a big deal and can be a defining element in the evolution of the community itself. Everyone in the municipality, not just residents of the old City of Chatham, has a stake in the re-development. This is a community project rather than one in which only a small group of people are involved or interested.
Given this as a starting point, the communications campaign has the following objectives: Assure residents that the final design plans for redeveloping the CCC are an appropriate response to the needs of the building and the needs of the community. Build excitement in the community about the redevelopment of the building which will then, hopefully, result in greater use of the facilities and a desire to be part of the re-opening. Encourage local stakeholder groups to take a role in the redevelopment of the building either sharing their views or volunteering in the work. Assure audiences that the venues are still operating and open for business. Encourage producers to continue booking space at the Kiwanis when the space is available during renovations, and after the renovation is completed. Target Audiences
13.2
To meet the goals of the communications programme, we have identified a number of audiences with whom we will need to communicate. There are two types of audiences to which we must direct our efforts. The first is the audience which we want to have take some action (such as renting the theatre) or which we
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want to believe some point-of-view (such as the redevelopment is a good idea). The second audience(s) is those that can assist us to reach the first audience. This second audience facilitates in the delivery of the messages. The chart below shows these audiences. Target Audiences Goal 1. Renovation plans is appropriate Build excitement in the community Primary target audiences Who Local residents Facilitating audiences Desired action Not oppose concept Media Counselors Stakeholder groups Create chatter Media Chairs/presidents of arts, culture, and heritage groups Members and volunteers BIA members Volunteer Chairs/presidents of local groups
1.
2. Take role in redevelopment
3. Still open for business
Local residents Service clubs Arts, culture, and heritage groups Tourism organizations Local stakeholder groups including heritage group, library board, music groups, churches, and others Members and volunteers Past Kiwanis audiences
Buy tickets Visit gallery and museum
4. Book Kiwanis for productions 13.3
Producers
Rent space
Media Chairs/president of community groups Event and social planners Hospitality and accommodations industry Community groups
Messages/Themes
The copy points used in the communications material to encourage the target audiences to take action will encompass the following themes: To the community at-large (throughout the redevelopment process)
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Primary messages: This is an exciting change that can define the community and not just another run-of-the-mill fix-up. The building will be a prime identifying element in the branding of the whole municipality. The CCC is a facility for all residents of Chatham-Kent, not just of the old City of Chatham. The CCC is still open for shows during the renovations. Secondary messages: Although the CCC will be styled as an arts and culture community centre, it is of interest and importance to all groups and individuals.
To study participants and stakeholder groups (immediately) Primary messages: The CCC is being revitalized. Your input to the process has been taken into consideration in the redevelopment of the building. Secondary messages: The Municipality has completed an extraordinary amount of public consultation in its assessment of what to do with the building.
To potential Kiwanis renters (after initial redevelopment plans completed) Primary messages: Were still open for rentals during the time of the renovations. Book your rental space now before they are sold out (after the grand reopening).
13.4 The Communications Campaign Given the goals, target audiences, and messages that must be conveyed, this section outlines a programme that can be implemented. As noted above, the campaign strives to be low cost, high impact, and implementable. We attempt to make use of existing material and channels (such as the Municipalitys website,
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local media, volunteers, and the stakeholder groups). We have also made the following additional assumptions: That a communications sub-committee will be struck that has 5-10 members who are comfortable with making public presentations. That there are approximately 20-30 key groups who are either actively interested in the re-development. That the Municipality will continue to assist in the redevelopment of the CCC by allocating staff time to the project and by allowing volunteers to use photocopiers, fax machines, and mailing when needed. That marketing staff will be available to guide the campaign and to advise volunteers.
2. The campaign is made up of five steps shown in the chart below. Communications Campaign Steps Step 1. Preparation for communications Specific Activities Define roles and responsibilities Appoint task force Prepare contact lists Prepare information packages (essentially a media kit with backgrounder but with the addition of how a volunteer can get involved and teachers guide) Detailed production and roll-out schedule Implement volunteer programme Stakeholder group information programme Ongoing communications with stakeholder groups Ongoing communications with the community-at-large Ongoing media contacts Personal presentations to service clubs and stakeholder groups Increased tempo and frequency of promotion of events and activities Prepare producers contact list Prepare rental information kit with a focus on rentals after renovations completed (availability and rate sheets) Prepare distribution plan for pre-construction and pre-grand opening Identify and sign agreement for significant grand opening production Familiarization tours Special event arrangement Joint programme between units 104
5. Build community buy-in
6. The CCC is still open 7. Sell Kiwanis rentals
8. Grand re-opening
Sign media sponsor Pre-opening communications with stakeholders Volunteer recognition The Exhibit on the following page lays out the campaign in a more detailed manner. It takes the basic information from the first exhibit, adds more detail, and presents the activities sorted by target audiences. This latter exhibit also identifies the parties responsible as well as the timing of the activity. Please note that out-ofpocket expenditures shown are conservative (i.e. they are shown on the high side). Communications Campaign by Date and Target Group (Assumes construction starts at -12 months before the grand re-opening)
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Note: CC=Communications committee CCC=Communications committee chair Imp=Implement (this month) MS=Municipal staff PSC=Project steering committee
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Section 14
Accountability
We recommend an on-going monitoring and evaluation framework be developed, using a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework. The specific and detailed development of an accountability framework is something to be developed by staff; at this point we simply suggest some measures that could be considered in such an accountability framework. These are shown in the chart below. Potential Measures of Accountability Aspect of Accountability Social Sustainability Potential Measures Specific annual report to Council on the progress of implementation on this CCC master plan Periodic statistically representative survey of the community asking about satisfaction with arts and culture initiatives (as well as potentially other community activities if this is broadened into a general community survey) Explore and initiate as appropriate social networking forms of obtaining suggestions and feedback (blogs, twitter, Facebook) Listing of number of arts/culture engagement opportunities available to the community through the CCC; demonstrate that the number is growing year by year (include participation, volunteer opportunities as well as for consumption of arts and culture experiences) Keeping and reporting upon attendance and utilization statistics for venues and activities at the CCC Anecdotal stories of engagement and involvement by residents (including youth) Economic impact assessment of the value of the CCC this would include examination of the total jobs created and supported by the sector as well as the wages and taxes component of the overall impact Report from economic development agency showing importance of cultural brand orientation of community in attracting investment Building upon all of the foregoing, a periodic report on the return on investment to the community overall for investments in cultural infrastructure and activities
Economic Sustainability
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Environmental Sustainability
Zero carbon footprint operation of municipal facilities (if achievable at the CCC) Encouragement of arts and culture activities that have some environmental learning connection
These and others, as appropriate, should all be considered in the development of a TBL accountability framework.
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APPENDICES
A: List of Documents Reviewed B: Benchmarking Spending on Culture and Recreation in Chatham-Kent C: Benchmarking Other Museum and Art Galleries
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Appendix A
List of Documents Reviewed
In addition to financial information, various Committee minutes, and data from Statistics Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Finance (regarding municipal expenditures), the following key Reports were reviewed. PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Municipality of Chatham-Kent Economic Development Strategy, 2001. Research Resolutions & Consulting, Inc., An Overview of Tourism in ChathamKent, An Analysis of Domestic and International Travel Surveys (2001), January, 2003. Milestone Strategy, Rondeau Provincial Park Area Visitor Centre Feasibility Study, May 2006. Municipality of Chatham-Kent, Corporate Strategic Plan, 2007-2008 Work Plan, March 2007. Millier Dickinson Blais, Chatham-Kent Economic Development Strategy Update, 2008 2011, October 2007. Navigator, Culture, Economy, Community, A Cultural Plan for Chatham-Kent, Final Report, December 2007. Chatham-Kent Community Strategic Planning Committee (CSPC) of Municipal Council, Annual Report 2008. Brown + Storey Architects; Jorden & Cook Architect Ltd., The Pines Chapel A Feasibility Study for Creative Re-Use, September, 2008. Chatham-Kent Economic Development Profile, For Business, 2008
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Appendix B
Benchmarking Spending on Culture and Recreation in Chatham-Kent
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has a certain a set of communities that it compares itself to on a regular basis. These are municipalities that are broadly similar in terms of population size, economic base, or general proximity to Chatham Kent. They are: Municipality London Kitchener Greater Sudbury Cambridge Kingston Guelph Brantford Niagara Falls Sarnia St. Thomas Population Size (2006) 352,395 204,668 157,857 120,371 117,207 114,943 90,192 82,184 71,419 36,110
In order to determine whether the amount of expenditure on arts and culture activities in Chatham-Kent was on a par with these comparable communities, a review of municipal expenditure data from the Ontario Ministry of Finance was undertaken. This review examined comparable municipal expenditure data gleaned from the Financial Information Reports (FIRs) filed for each municipality, for 2007. The table below shows this data for Chatham-Kent, compared to the 10 comparable municipalities. The chart shows expenditure on Arts and Culture (FIR category #1650) as well as expenditure on libraries (FIR # 1640) and Parks and Recreation (FIR category #1660). The total for these three categories is shown as well.
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The total and per capita expenditure amounts are shown for Chatham-Kent and compared to the weighted total for all 10 of the official comparables. For reference, the chart also shows the per capita expenditure for all other lower tier municipalities in Ontario on these measures. Spending on Culture and Recreation in Chatham-Kent Versus Other Municipalities in Ontario, 2007 Chatham-Kent Arts & Culture Spending (FIR 1650) $2,183,213 Libraries Spending (FIR 1640) $3,634,080 Parks and Recreation (FIR 1660) $12,360,668 Total Recreation and Culture Spending (FIR 1699) $18,177,961 Population 108,177 Arts & Culture Spending per Capita $20 Libraries Spending per Capita $34 Parks and Recreation Spending per Capita $114 Total Recreation and Culture Spending per Capita $168 All Data According to Financial Information Return (FIR) for 2007. Official Comparators* $30,522,950 $67,485,909 $192,530,944 $290,539,803 1,382,084 $22 $49 $139 $210 Ontario $302,967,146 $600,482,432 $1,890,989,458 $2,794,439,036 12,507,651 $24 $48 $151 $223
* Chatham-Kent's Official Comparators are: The Cities of Niagara, Kitchener, St Thomas, Cambridge, London, Greater Sudbury, Sarnia, Brantford, Kingston, Guelph. The official comparators are a weighted average of these 10 communities. This analysis shows an interesting pattern. On a per capita basis (really, the only valid comparative measure) Chatham-Kent is below the average of its comparable set on all three measures (arts and culture, libraries, and parks and recreation. It is also below the provincial norm on all three measures. On the surface, this would seem to imply that Chatham-Kent should increase its expenditure on arts and culture activities. If, for example, it spent at the same rate as its comparable set on arts and culture activities, it would be spending an additional $216,000 on arts and culture activities (calculated as the $2 per head shortfall times 108,000 residents). However, there are several cautionary factors that need to be taken into account in interpreting this information. One is the fact that some municipalities choose to support their arts and culture sectors through hiring staff to work with groups in
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the community, rather than handing out grants or other funding. Staffing costs are not recorded in the FIR figures shown above, so this staffing support will not show up in a comparison, and it will appear as though the municipality is underfunding its sector. Another dimension not counted here is any offsetting revenue generation that occurs from arts and culture facilities. If a municipality chose to offsets its costs through a cost-recovery funding and pricing philosophy, then it might be seen to be funding its arts and culture sector at a higher level as well (since it is recovering some of those costs through a revenue generating strategy). Other municipalities, that may be seen to be not as supportive initially, may in fact have a more relaxed chargeback policy and so thus support the sector through what is in effect a subsidy. This too, will be hidden in just a straight comparative review of the numbers. Still another relevant dimension is the wealth base of communities as reflected for example by the ratio of industrial/commercial assessment to residential assessment. (Municipalities with higher proportions of industrial/commercial assessment will, all things being equal, be wealthier.) Higher relative wealth may, of course, enable communities to provide for their residents arts and culture needs to a higher standard than other communities. Thus a simple comparison may be misleading, and a municipalitys actual comparative level of support may not be known unless a detailed assessment is undertaken (which was beyond the scope of this study). However, even with the cautions and caveats, our view is that the above likely does show some relative shortfall when Chatham-Kent is compared to its sister communities as well as the Ontario average, and that this could be used as an argument to bolster overall funding levels somewhat.
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Appendix C
Benchmarking Other Museums and Galleries
The following charts present comparable information regarding museums and art galleries in other southern Ontario communities. This information demonstrates the importance of facilities like museums and art galleries in these municipalities.
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MUSEUM COMPARISONS Niagara Falls Kevin Windsor 905-358-5082 Lundys Lane Historical Museum Kingston Carolyn Petznik at MacLachlan Woodworking Museum 613-5420543 Lambton County Bob Tremain 519-243-2600 Brantford Curator: Brian Wood 519-856-6220 Education Coordinator: Sarah Hamilton sarahhamilton@bra ntford.ca Sarah Hamilton (Education Coordinator) Sudbury City of Greater Sudbury Museums Guelph Katherine McCracken 519-836-1221 x 2775 Windsor Mary Baruth Manager of Cultural Affairs, City of Windsor
Contact information:
Who am I speaking to?
Kevin Windsor 905-358-5082 Lundys Lane Historical Museum 81,000 Yes (1)Lundys Lane Historical Museum (2) Willoughby Historical Museum (3) Battleground Hotel (4)Niagara Falls Armoury not yet open to public
Carolyn Petznik at MacLachlan Woodworking Museum 613-5420543 127,000 Yes, two facilities: (1) MacLachlan Woodworking Museum (2) Pump House Steam Museum
Bob Tremain
Curator: Jim Fortin 705-692-4448 (for 30 years)
Katherine McCracken 519-836-1221 x 2775
Mary Baruth
Population of municipality? Museum municipally owned?
110,000
90,000
140,000 Yes: (1) Anderson Farm (2) Copper Cliff (3) Flour Mills (4) Rayside-Balfour developing
120,000 Yes (1)Guelph Civic (2) McCrae House
217,000 (1) Windsors Community Museum they contribute to: Art Gallery of Windsor, The Arts Council, Windsor Symphony & an Independent Arts Space (sounded a little like Artspace, Mackenzie Hall & Willistead Manor) 115
Yes: 3 sites, (1) Oil Yes: Bell Homestead Museum of Canada, (2)Lambton heritage museum, (3)Municipal Archives
If so, what is the gross / net funding?
Gross: $ unknown Net $ 500,000 including grants
Gross = $ 194,000 Net (after revenue) = $157,000
Size of venue (either number of seats for theatres or square footage if gallery / museum) Number of staff (full time equivalent), list of staff titles, org chart if available.
(1)10,000 sq. ft. soon to be doubled (2) 5,000 sq. ft. (3) 1,,500 sq. ft.
Two building total 7800 sq. ft.
County gives $525,000, Province gives $31,000, Museum raises $55,000 annually = approx. $669,000 total revenue 50,000 sq. feet
did not know
Gross (all 4) $ 180,000 Includes $40,000 grant $ (from CMOG and student asst.)
$ 680,000 Revenue of $112,000 (plus small provincial operational grant) Almost all municipal $ (1) 11,000 sq.ft. (relocatiing soon and doubling area) (2) 2500 sq. ft.
Annual budget = Gross budget $251,794; City contribution is $205,623
did not know
L.L = 4 FT / W=2 FT (Curator: Sarah Byers-Ogilvie) B.H.=seasonal (Kathleen Powel manages all 4)
1.5 full time: Full time Curator Part-time Program Coordinator
5 FT at the Heritage Museum: Curator, Education Officer, Event and Office Coordinator, Museum Assistant, Museum Technician. 1 FT at Archives (3 PT seasonal), 1 FT at Oil museum (3 PT seasonal).
Two: Full time Curator Full time Education Coordinator
(1) this is a 14 acre farm (2) 20 x 20 bldg. (3) 3 out building (log cabin, heritage house, support bldg,) (4) in 20 x 20 library space - presently One plus 4,400 volunteer hours Six summer students
Exhibit space approx. 800 sq. ft. very small!
Six: Curator, Director, Coordinator Public Programming, Asst. Curator, Programming Asst., Admin. Asst.
3 full time staff: Curator, Registrar, & Ed. Volunteer Coordinator plus 3 part-time staff
116
Public hours of operation
Niagara Falls LL=Daily 10 - 5
Kingston Open Victoria Day to Labour Day 10 5 7 days / week April 1 Nov 30 Open Wed Sun noon - 4
Lambton County 9-5 on Weekdays for staff, 10-5 for the public, or 11-5pm on weekends (open 7 days a week from March-November)
Number of visitors per year (including Education Programs and excluding education programs). Of these visitors, what is the estimated breakdown of tourists vs. local/regional residents?
3,700 for all 4 sites LL=50% Tourists & School groups=50%
Average 5,500 During a 4,000 visitor year 1,900 Regular / Family visitors, 1,900 school / tours, 200 other
23,000 last year, about 3-4,000 of those come from Education programs, 5,000 from one special event alone (fundraising craft show)
Brantford Tues Sun. 9:30 4:30 (staff arrives at 8:30 am) Open evening by appointment Open holiday Mondays in the summer 12,000 in 2008 30% = general 70% = school programming & special event / community outreach / daycamps
Sudbury (1) seasonal 10 4 (2) and (3) 10 4 Wed thru Sun
Guelph (1) 1-5 Daily year round (2) 6 months closed Sat. 6 months 1 -5 daily
Windsor Closed Mondays Summer (May 1 Sept. 30 Tues to Sat 10 5, Sun 2 5) Winter (Oct 1 April 31 Tues to Sat 10 5 Closed Sun & Mon.) 9,000 / year on average no breakdown (call Madeline, the curator)
6,500 to all four 70% are Ed. Prog. Outreach programs are huge: Participated in Doors Open with 3,400 visitors in 2 days.
2008 (1) 25,000 (2) 7,500
117
Level of Programming: for Theatre how many shows do they present annually? ; for Gallery/Museum: how many exhibitions to they present annually?
(1)LL=upper & lower areas try to change yearly (2) W=one each year (3)BG=doesnt change (4) permanent 1812
One new exhibit each year
Change exhibit annually
They are a Historical House Museum therefore the exhibits dont change. New items into collection. They are restoring one room and renovating an area for childrens activity room. 2009 they have an exhibit from Black Creek and in 2007 they had a local artist exhibit both of these were in the visitors centre.
Change annually at each location a feature exhibit plus computer stations at each location
Depending on the exhibit. (1) 2 months to 5 or 6 months (2) only parts (vignettes)
Change exhibits 3 times / year and one permanent exhibit.
118
Do you have a strategic plan that governs your overall operations and, if so, is it a public document (and can we get a copy)?
Just finished a 3 year business plan Yes they have strategic plans in place
Yes have a strategic Not a current one plan but its not public, just a working document with their advisory group.
unsure
Yes Full Disclosure (available on web site)
Yes a new Strategic Plan with last Council election. Guelph Museums have their own SP referencing the corporate SP. Museums not a part of any dept. Museum Board reports directly to Council. Museum works very closely with Community Services Dept.
119
ART GALLERY COMPARISONS
Contact
Size of venue (square footage if gallery / museum)
London Museum London Carol Kehoe 519-661-2500x4242 Partnerships Manager (she is sending their last years report to Mindy Bowls) 20 000 square feet (exhibition space)
Windsor AGW Art Gallery of Windsor could not reach a person
Sarnia Gallery Lambton Lisa Daniels 519-336-8127 ex. 24 lisa.daniels@countylambton.on.ca main gallery: 2156 sq ft, 200.30 m square; 189 running feet, 56.6 m smaller gallery: 496 sq ft, 46 m square; 98 running feet, 29.87 m 4 FTE, +1 part time and 2 casuals Below from web: Curator Gallery Assistant Community Relations
Woodstock Woodstock Art Gallery Maria Ricker 519-539-2382 x2800 mricker@city.woodstock.o n.ca
Cambridge Cambridge galleries 519.621.0460 press 5 and left message in general mailbox http://www.cambridgegaller ies.ca/flash/index.htm
unknown
Number of staff (FTE), list of staff titles, org chart if available.
21 FTE - includes gift shop and art rental/sales Below from web: Executive Director; Director of Finance; Head of Administration;
12 FTE according to website - includes gift shop and art rental/sales Below from web: Director Executive Assistant
guessing from the website 9 FTE Below from web: Gallery Director Curator Architecture and Design
120
Partnerships Manager; Head of Exhibitions and Collections; Curator of Art; Curator of Regional History; Art Registrar; Historical Museums Registrar; Curator of Education; Coordinator of Public Programs; Events Coordinator; Digitizing Team: Team Leader; HTML Authoring, Graphics; Graphics, Content Development Implementation and Design: Image Business, Project Co-ordinator, Design, Design
Curator of Contemporary Art Director of Development Collections Manager Curatorial Coordinator Controller Assistant to the Controller Education and Public Programs Coordinator Information Coordinator Uncommon Market Gift Shopmailto:giftshop@artga lleryofwindsor.com Art Rental & Sales
Curator, Design at Riverside Audience Development Coordinator Education officer Graphic Designer Marketing Assistant Secretary Installation Technician
121
Public hours of operation
London Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00 to 5:00 pm Thursday 12:00 to 9:00 pm Closed Mondays
Windsor Gallery + Gift Shop Hours Wednesday 11 am - 8 pm Thursday, Friday 11 am - 9 pm Saturday, Sunday 11 am - 5 pm Monday, Tuesday Closed Bamboo Restaurant Hours Wed, Thurs 11am - 9pm Frid, Sat 11am - 10pm Sun 11am - 4pm Monday, Tuesday Closed
Sarnia Hours Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursdays 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Closed Mondays First Sunday of the month 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. First Fridays (first Friday of the month) 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Woodstock Closed Mondays 11am - 5pm Tuesday Friday 10am 5pm Saturday *Christmas Hours are as follows: Gallery will be closed December 24 -29 and January 1 Gallery will be open: December 30 from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm December 31 from 9:00 am noon
Cambridge Many separate sites all with different hours - some are run out of libraries and coinside with library hours
Number of visitors per year Of these visitors, what is the estimated breakdown of tourists vs. local/regional residents? Level of Programming: for Gallery/Museum: how many exhibitions to they present Annually?
125,000 (15,000 = education programs) About 30, typically 1/3 history, 2/3 art. Approx 20 - by the website approx. 8 11 exhibitions in 2008 According to the website it 7 of which we created by the looks like 19 last year and 17 gallery (some with partners) in 2007. 4 of which were travelling shows. They also have an art rental and sale section.
122
Do you have a strategic plan that governs your overall operations and, if so, is it a public document (and can we get a copy)?
had one and it expired will go into a new process starting in June after AGM in April with new chair
Yes. It is available on their website. http://www.lambtononline.c a/uploads/1200/Strategic_P lan_Document.pdf
123
For More Information: Jon Linton TCI Management Consultants 99 Crowns Lane, Lower Level Toronto, Ontario Canada M5R 3P4 Telephone: 416.515.0815 Facsimile: 416.515.1255 E-mail: jlinton@consulttci.com www.consulttci.com
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Chatham Cultural Centre Master Plan

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The Corporation of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent

Chatham Cultural Centre Master Plan

TCI Management Consultants

The Importance of Investment in Cultural Infrastructure

Current Space (sq. ft.) 8,660 4,730 5,500 740 19,630

Required Space (sq. ft.) 13,934 10,940 9,750 4,530 39,154

% Increase 61% 131% 77% 512% 99%

$13.476 (includes estimated cost of space renovation to accommodate relocated facility)

Reference Section 8.1.2

Total Revenues Total Costs Net Financial Position

PART A. SITUATION ANALYSIS

Demographic and Economic Profile of Chatham-Kent

Location of Municipality of Chatham-Kent within southern Ontario

Internal Structure of Chatham-Kent

Profile of the CCC

Origins of the CCC

Background, Purpose and Objectives of this Master Plan

Activities Undertaken in the Development of this Master Plan

Caveats and Cautions on this Project

PART B. MASTER PLAN

Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives of the CCC

investigate longer-term feasibility of establishing 45

Key Action Areas and Recommendations

Physical Configuration of Space

61% 131% 77% 512% 99%

$2,360,000 $5,100,000 $100,000 $7,560,000

$650,000 $604,800 $1,500,000 $756,000 $756,000 $11,826,800

$2,360,000 $4,240,000 $200,000 $6,800,000

$0 $544,000 $1,500,000 $680,000 $680,000 $10,204,000

$2,360,000 $2,920,000 $100,000 $5,480,000

$0 $438,400 $1,500,000 $548,000 $548,000 $8,514,400

$1,300,000 $2,600,000 $300,000

$500,000 $232,000 $750,000 $290,000 $290,000 $4,962,000

Scheme A Maximum Footprint

required acquisition of three homes on Adelaide St. requires gingko removal

diminishes CCCs force somewhat as a combined cultural entity

Revenue or expense oriented (evaluative criteria) Purpose of marketing

Communications rather than marketing Political Communications Yearly Ongoing

Sponsorship/ partnership NA NA Yearly None

Permanent collection Event-oriented Locationoriented Season Yearly Few Medium

Permanent collection Locationoriented Yearly Few

Part C. Financial analysis and sustainability

Five-Year Operating Costs and Revenue Forecast

Admissions (theatre only)

Box office commission, service recovery

Childrens, school programs Workshops

Total Revenues Expenses Staffing

Total Expenses Total Net Expenses

Return on Investment to Community

Roles and Responsibilities

Other Municipal Staff Advisory Committee Members CCC Members

Other Stakeholder Groups Corporate Sector General Community

Communications and Awareness Building

2. Take role in redevelopment

3. Still open for business

Buy tickets Visit gallery and museum

4. Book Kiwanis for productions 13.3

5. Build community buy-in

6. The CCC is still open 7. Sell Kiwanis rentals

List of Documents Reviewed

Benchmarking Spending on Culture and Recreation in Chatham-Kent

Benchmarking Other Museums and Galleries

Who am I speaking to?

Curator: Jim Fortin 705-692-4448 (for 30 years)