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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000/07/12 - Minutes - Special Workshop July 12, 2000 CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Special Workshop A. CALL TO ORDER A special meeting of the Rancho Cucamonga City Council was held on Wednesday, July 12, 2000 in the Tri Communities Room of the Civic Center, located at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. The meeting was called to order at 8:10 a.m. by Mayor Alexander. Present were Councilmembers: Paul Biane, James Curatalo, Bob Dutton, Diane Willlares (arrived at 8:12 a.m.), and Mayor William J. Alexander. Also present were: Jack Lain, City Manager; Linda D. Daniels, Redevelopment Agency Director; Rick Gomez, Community Development Director; Brad Buffer, City Planner; Kevin McArdle, Community Services Director; and Debra J. Adams, City Clerk. '",Jack Lain, City Manager, stated Pamela Easter, Deputy City Manager, had gone to Sacramento hoday to pay respects to the Gonsalves family due to the death of Joe Gonsalves, the City's lobbyist. B. ITEM OF BUSINESS B1. REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF POSSIBILITIES FOR FUTURE ARTS RELATED PROGRAMMING Kevin McArdle, Community Services Director, stated when the City Council went to Santa Barbara to visit their downtown retail area, it was brought up about the possibility of a performing ads center and that is the reason for this workshop today. He introduced Victor Gottsman who is with a theater projects company and told of his accomplishments. He stated Mr. Gottsman was present to only give information, not make suggestions what he felt the Council should do. He added both he and Mr. Gottsman will be happy to answer any questions the Council has. Victor Gottsman proceeded to go through the nine discussion items which were distributed to the City Council. 1. Programming differences between a Community Theater and a professional Performing Arts Center. Mr. Gottsman stated there is a difference between community theater and a professional performing arts center. Mayor Alexander felt it would be a greater cost for a professional performing arts center. Mr. Gottsman stated yes and explained to the Council what these costs were. Mayor Alexander asked if there were any performing arts centers that he knew of that were not receiving some kind of subsidy to run their program. Mr. Gottsman stated no. City Council Minutes July 12, 2000 Page 2 Councilmember Curatalo asked if you could do community as well as professional performances at the same facility. Mr. Gottsman stated yes. He stated you can have dance, theater and other performances if it is designed correctly. Jack Lain, City Manager, asked how do you figure out what the needs of the community are. Mr. Gottsman stated it is a research process that takes into consideration what the existing needs are in the area and the needs that are not met, the needs of the community, the vision of the City, educational requirements for the City, which would involve a total needs assessment. Councilmember Dutton brought up the cost to the community to construct the center. Mr. Gottsman stated they can provide the City with the tools to work with the community on this. Councilmember Dutton brought up the dinner theater aspect. Mr. Gottsman stated this could be considered in the planning of the ,center when figuring the requirements of construction. He felt all different aspects would be a great opportunity to the City. Councilmember Curatalo asked if the dinner theater was restrictive for families. Mr. Gottsman stated you could have both family and non-family performances. He talked about food and beverages being served as well. Mr. Gottsman felt educational performances is very important to the community and that if you have only a dinner theater, you could not have educational performances. Councilmember Williams asked how you could have a professional group there and still have something for the community going on as well. Mr. Gottsman stated you could accommodate both depending on the design. He stated the City would need to identify what their needs are to figure the design. Councilmember Biane asked about partnerships with other surrounding communities to help pay for the center. Mr. Gottsman stated he is not aware of any partnerships in Southern California, but felt there were some across the United States. Councilmember Dutton brought up the performing arts center at Citrus College. Mr. Gottsman stated it is very successful. 2. Role(s) and expectations of a Community Theater or professional Performing Arts Center as part of a Regional Shopping Mall or similar downtown development project. Review of similar examples from around the country. Mr. Gottsman talked about what Hollywood is doing with their performihg ads center and being connected with their mall. Councilmember Williams asked if the developer is participating when there is a performing arts center in a shopping. City Council Minutes July 12, 2000 Page 3 Mr. Gottsman stated yes they are and that developers feel a performing ads center would generate business for the shopping center. He felt this was a trend that was starling. 3. Possible programming relationship(s) of a Community Theater or Performing Arts Center to Ontario Airport, Convention Center, hotels and proposed Arena. Kevin McArdle, Community Services Director, asked Mr. Gottsman's opinion of these relationships. Mr. Gottsman stated that the City should be aware of this, but felt it would be a great relationship and that discussions with them was important. Councilmember Williams asked if he saw any possibility of doing a performing arts center in conjunction with a hotel. Mr. Gottsman stated yes and felt the opportunity was there. Kevin McArdle asked if he felt the performing arts center would attract a hotel. Mr. Gottsman felt it would with a regional center as opposed to a community center. He stated some - hotels and performing arts center work out package deals which are attractive to people. 'Councilmember Biane asked if there is one kind of performance that need to be subsidized over the %other. Mr. Gottsman stated yes, that orchestras, ballets and that type require subsidy because they are very hard to sell. Mayor Alexander asked if there was a minimum amount of people an artist would perform in front of. Mr. Gottsman stated yes. He also talked about the cost of various artists and an exclusivity clause within a seventy-five mile radius. 4. Possible economic spin off effects resulting from a Community Theater or Performing Arts Center. Mr. Gottsman talked about other methods for subsidizing, i.e., ticket surcharge, sponsorships, and luxury box sales. 5. Operating budget and revenue expectations for a Community Theater or Performing Arts Center. Various levels of financial support provided by cities. Discussion of the possible role(s) and expectations of fundraising groups to support the Theater. Mr. Gottsman felt corporations are less likely to give money to a City for a performing arts center. He talked about 501(c)3 organizations and that Cerritos did this for their educational programs. He stated people are more likely to give to a 501(c)3 than a City. Kevin McArdle, Community Services Director, asked how close the City could get to a self sustaining performing arts center through the things he mentioned above. Mr. Gottsman stated the City Council would control and dictate this based on the programs they want. He stated Cerritos spent a lot of money for the center and subsidizes three to four million per year. Mayor Alexander asked how this was sold to the community of Cerritos. City Council Minutes July 12, 2000 Page 4 Kevin McArdle, Community Services Director, stated there is no additional property tax to the residents of Cerritos for this performing arts center. Mr. Gottsman stated the community of Cerritos was infatuated with the center. Councilmember Williams asked of other cities that have performing arts centers. Mr. Gottsman stated La Mirada, Thousand Oaks, Escondido. 6. Theater programming and operation. City operated vs. privately contracted/owned vs. community non-profit organization. Mr. Gottsman stated if it is privately operated, the City has less control. Councilmember Willjams asked if there is a board to operate the center. Mr. Gottsman stated if the City does not totally operate it, a board is created, to operate the facility. He stated programming issues is always controversial. 7. Pros and cons of conducting a professional feasibility study for a potential Community Theater or Performing Arts Center. Mr. Gottsman stated a proiect cannot be developed iust by vision alone. He stated you need a performing arts center that is occupied 365 days a year. He stated before the Council recommends the development of a performing arts center, they would want to do a needs assessment. He stated if the City does a study, it gives the Council some ammunition as to why they are doing something because it is based on the results of the study. 8. Mechanics/components of conducting a meaningful and accurate feasibility study. Councilmember Dutton asked what would the cost be for a study. Mr. Gottsman stated $28,000, plus expenses, for the first phase, and then depending on if the Council goes ahead and develops the project they go to phase two for an additional $28,000. He added it would probably be between $30 - $60,000 total. Councilmember Dutton thought the General Plan process could possibly be considered as part of the needs assessment. Councilmember Williams felt the City is at a very critical point with the shopping center and felt if the City is going with a performing arts center it should be considered with the design of the mall right now. Councilmember Dutton felt the developer of the mall shourd do the feasibility study for the performing arts center. He stated possibly the City could share the cost. Jack Lain, City Manager, stated Forest City is going to give a financial package to the City in the next 30 days. He stated that was a possibility to have them pay for the study. Mayor Alexander felt the City would end up paying for it anyway. Councilmember Williams stated she agreed with Councilmember Dutton. Linda Danlois, Redevelopment Agency Director, felt the mall developer wouid want to be a part of this process. City Council Minutes July 12, 2000 Page 5 Councilmember Williams stated this would be important to the mall and its success. Direction was given to staff to proceed with the study. Mr. Gottsman felt the Council should develop the scope of the proposal. 9. Options, possible expectations and steps for a fund raising/sponsorship program for design and construction of a Community Theater or Performing Arts Center. This was answered in discussions stated above. C. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC No communication was made from the public. D. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 10:00 a.m. City Clerk Approved: August 16, 2000