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4.4. SR 09-10-2001r TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: MEMORANDUM Mayor and Council Pat Klaers, City Administrator September I 0, 200 I Request for Funds by School District for Small Theatre Item 4.4. The School District Board has had a number of building improvement issues to address since the bond referendum was approved. In evaluating its priorities, the School Board has made the decision that the district did not have enough funds available to retain the little theatre. School district representatives are planning to request 8563,000 from the City Council in order to keep the little theatre in the senior high school. Attached for your information is an outline of the discussion points that the school representatives will be presenting to the City Council on September 10, 2001. Also included within this packet is a letter from Operation ER's Center for Community Committee, which includes some comments on this issue. As previously discussed with the City Council there are a number of municipal capital needs that must be addressed in the not too distant future. Most of these capital needs have been known for years; and the city has been planning the schedule and saving money for these capital projects. Even with this capital planning by the city, there are not enough funds available to do everything we want, when we think we need it, and to the size that would best address our needs. Attached for your information is some material from Ehlers and Associates from the June 11, 2001, capital improvement planning worksession that reviews some of our projects and revenue sources. As with most everything facing the City Council and the School Board, the issue comes down to priorities. Everybody knows that this theatre could not be replaced for this amount of money. Nonetheless, the questions the Council must answer include: what are the community uses and benefits for preserving this facility.., should the city be the only agency providing funds to save the theatre...is this school facility of a high enough priority that the city should move funds away from some city projects? 00 S=hool Street Elk River, l~linnesota 55330 (763t 241-3434 Fax: (7~3) 241.3421 / ELK RIVER AREA HIGH SCHOOL INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT 728 September 6, 2001 PAT KLAERS ~'IM VOIGHT Information Concerning the "Little Theater" at the high school 3V · It would permit community groups to schedtfle either the new or the small ~eater allowing £or more events. · The only cost for Elk River community groups would be for security or cleanup after 11 p,m. or on weekends. · Community groups would have priority scheduling. · The replacement cost for mother stage in Elk'River comparable to the little theater would be at least $2M. · It would foster better partnerships between the city and the school district. · The cost, $565,000, could be spread over at least two years. * If the theater is not saved, we will begin demolition of the room and construction of art moms in its location. · Although it would be desirable for the school to retain the little theater, it is not our highest priority. We feel that it id most valuable as a community resource. · We need a decision as soon as potable since construction on the new art room needs to begin by the end of the month. The h/gh school construction budget is under stress. There are no funds available to save the little theater out of district monies. · We would remodel the small theater to include refurbished seating and new carpeting, out of district funds. · Saving the theater may allow the community center to avoid building another stage or performance area. Lb Meml~er North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges IE~gI~[[I9'XV~ qOOHOS HOIH ~^IE Nq~:MOHg NV [g' [[ flH£ ,ERATION September 5, 2001 To the Elk River City Council As you know, Operation ER's Center for Community Committee has been meeting over the last year to research and assess the space needs of our community. According to our findings, the area in which there is the greatest deficiency of space in our community is the arts: visual arts exhibit space, arts educational space for all ages, and performance and presentation space. During the course of our monthly discussions, the subject of performance and presentation space has been raised. Representatives from the school district came to Operation ER to alert us that the community is in danger of losing an important asset, the senior high "little theater." At our recent meeting in August, the committee, after lengthy discussion, voted to recommend that the City of Elk River purchase the "little theatre" to secure performance and presentation space for Elk River. The rationale for this recommendation to purchase the little theatre included the following points: · Providing space for arts performances and community presentations and gatherings is an appropriate expenditure of city funds. · The school district is offering to guarantee community use of both the little theatre and the new auditorium if the purchase is made. · Th. is is~a,n o, pp. ort. unity to ob~,,ain p,,erformance space for the Elk River community at an economical price, the tittle theater is a buy at $532,000. Cost estimates to reproduce the exact same space have been cited at over $2 million. There is no other space of its kind currently in our area. · The little theatre has a value of over $100,000 in newer lighting and sound technology that will be lost if the theater is destroyed. · The newly constructed auditorium will be in high demand as the experience in the little theatre shows. Currently, the district scheduler frequently turns down applications for use of the little theatre. As our student population grows and the Zimmerman High School, the junior highs and the elementary schools utilize the senior high performance facilities, the scheduling problem will only become worse. · The little theatre could maximize the use of the new auditorium by providing rehearsal time with its technology, and supplying a place that is adequate for programs drawing smaller audiences. · Use of the auditorium for community venues would not infringe on student use. Opportunities to bring in productions such as The Guthrie Theatre, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra or a national show would be greater if the little theatre was available for other uses that didn't require the large auditorium. · Elk River's Community Theater died a few years ago in large part due to lack of performance and rehearsal space. It has begun again as the Three Rivers Community Theatre, and they need local performance space to grow and thrive. · Stage performances in Elk River are historically well-attended and valued in the Elk River community. Operation ER's Center for Community Committee also recommends that the issues of the performance space and the family/art center be considered as separate issues and not be done at the expense of the other. This is an opportunity for the City of Elk River and our school district to collaborate to meet important needs of our children and, at the same time, our community at large. On behalf of the Operation ER _committee, we encourage you to strongly consider the school district's proposal to save the little theatre. O~_~ation ER'.s ,Center for Community Committee Don Heinzman, C-'Hair - Involving the Elk River community in a "great conversation" to identify and implement a shared vision.