Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The
Road To Perdition":
"There are two staff members. Plus maintenance.
Cost to the taxpayers is $270,000 a year."
According to the Parks
& Rec Director, $270, 0000 was the shortfall that the Town had to cover for
the Seniors Centre. I think you need to add the salaries & benefits costs of
the two Town staff persons, along with the building maintenance coats, to that
$270 K total.
Also, the Seniors Centre provides facilities and
programming for a specific niche group of residents aged 55+. The Cultural
Centre demographic covers the whole age spectrum from young to old
**************
If you think you can justify putting the cost of culture on the backs of taxpayers, I understand why feel the need to challenge figures provided as cost of operating the Senior's Centre.
$270,000 is the annual cost to taxpayers as provided by the Director of Leisure Services.
The figure was given several weeks ago during a budget discussion. Why on earth do you not understand that cost of operating a facility includes the cost of operating the facility.
You are not correct that the Centre provides services only to niche group.
7,000 square feet of the Centre is dedicated to Seniors . $7,000 square feet is permitted to other users.
There are 1371 members in the seniors club. They pay a membership of $20. annually. The town takes ,I think, $18. of the fee.
Seniors manage programs financially and they have a tidy sum in the bank.
They're a canny group.
The library can also be used as a comparator to the Culture Centre.
The building has 44,000 square feet. Twenty full time staff and sixteen part time. They provide a multitude of services including an art gallery, writing clubs, computer workshops and programs too numerous to mention.
Many falling under the heading of culture and others with a more serious purpose.
There is no question of community support for library services.
Library services weren't snuck in by the back door, stealing space and furnishings designed for a museum and paid for in good part by funds raised in the community for the purpose, plus a $750,000 grant obtained for specific needs of a museum.
Culture Centre spending of tax dollars doesn't stand up well against the library either. Yet we have Councillors every year who feel compelled to reduce their budget. Even while they cant find enough ways to hand money out the back door to people who are not accountable.
Speaking of culture, the seniors centre has a room for sing-alongs and such.
Why did the Culture Centre feel compelled to hi-jack the sing-along with free admission to fill their program schedule.
Will they go after seniors art classes next and offer them free as well to make themselves look successful. .
To the other poster;Sabotage has a particular meaning for people of my generation . It means secret ,furtive skulking about in the dark with explosives designed to destroy enemy forces. The French underground did their part in the second World War to defeat the enemy.
I do not furtively engage in a campaign against the Culture Centre.
I openly avow my opposition to the outrageous theft of the Aurora Museum.
I am not alone.
People who don't care much about the museum are not enamoured about purchase of culture any more than they support the idea of Councillors or staff buying booze on the town's tab.
So.. take that and that and that ...Supporter of Socialist Culture who must hide behind anonymous so neighbours won't know who he is and what he stands for.
Isn't that how we all cast our ballots, anonymously?
ReplyDeleteHe's the unemployed Dung Bug who works at the Center as a volunteer in hopes that he will be rewarded in the next election. We have had him here for about 2 years, usually silent until the Center { deliberate incorrect spelling } enters the conversation. Does not deal with any other subject. Very narrow scope of interest. Doesn't like this Blog or any who use it. Maybe they pay him?
ReplyDeleteBecause of ongoing financial woes, the Toronto District School Board had/ was forced to have a special audit which revealed how it could save money. Aurora requires one of those. I would bet money, the little I have, that the Centre would attract the attention of independent auditors. Maybe then we could get away from the entitled demanding more entitlements.
ReplyDeleteTalk about circuitous logic. Councillor Ballard demands a business plan for the Youth Centre. But he does not require one for the Culture Centre. Does he think he's a pretzel?
ReplyDeleteSLEEP ? Thank you so much !
ReplyDeleteYour analogy to the Library is not a valid one. You cannot compare it to the Culture Centre.
ReplyDeleteThe Library is governed under the Province's Public Libraries Act. There is no similar legislation to govern how a municipality runs a culture centre, senior centre or youth centre.
As a member of the Library Board, you should know this.
Why hasn't anyone on Council ever discussed the Centre's budget and what they have delivered on in the past? Has the Town looked at their 2012 financials and program successes? Has the Town had a report as to what the “true” success of the Centre has been to date.
ReplyDeleteThe programs are so heavily subsidized and yet still cost on average $10/hr to take any class. $10/hr for art classes for 4-6 year olds. I realize that Aurora may be an affluent town, but who is taking these classes and how many. I guess I’m not keeping ups with the “Joneses” if I am not sending my son/daughter to an Aurora Cultural Centre Art Class. Evening classes from the School board are nowhere near this price and I doubt the Senior Centre has those high charges either. I bet there’s some talented seniors at the Senior Centre who could teach those classes. (I’m not knocking the talent of the artists/musicians delivering the Centre’s classes they all have to make a living too. But the Centre’s business practice seems to be askew and that's what is still going forward).
Where's it come off that you need an agreement that goes to 2027? Where's the business plan for the future of the Centre? What’s happened to the Centre’s idea of qualifying for grants that was spoken about last year and why the Centre can't have Town involvement? And all the big talk of the future of the Centre. It seems like there's more people sitting on the Centre's Board than actually work there and delivering programs. And now there will be 2 Councillors sitting on the board bogging down the process either further. More upper management than workers.
Where's their incentive to grow and expand and deliver more? (Like they were talking about last year) They'll get their budget every year now from the Town and keep delivering at the same level with no worries and everyone involved will deem it a success. What are they going to do differently and better in the future?
Every service the municipal government, provincial government and the federal government provide is on the backs of the tax payer -- in Aurora, everything from hockey skating, parks recreation, roads , water -- yes everything. Why do you continue ad nauseum to point out that Cultural Srvices are being provided "on the backs of the taxpayer"? The people of Aurora deserve a local cultural program. I don't go to the National Gallery in Ottawa but my tax dollar supports it -- it enriches our country I am happy it's there!
ReplyDeleteWhy hasn't anyone on Council ever discussed the Centre's budget and what they have delivered on in the past? Has the Town looked at their 2012 financials and program successes (quarterly reports, etc)? Has the Town had a report as to what the “true” success of the Centre has been to date. What has been the KPI’s to date?
ReplyDeleteThe programs are so heavily subsidized and yet still cost on average $10/hr to take any class. $10/hr for art classes for 4-6 year olds. I realize that Aurora may be an affluent town, but who is taking these classes and how many. I guess I’m not keeping ups with the “Joneses” if I am not sending my son/daughter to an Aurora Cultural Centre Art Class. Evening classes from the School board are nowhere near this price and I doubt the Senior Centre has those high charges either. I bet there’s some talented seniors at the Senior Centre who could teach those classes. (I’m not knocking the talent of the artists/musicians delivering the Centre’s classes they all have to make a living too. But the Centre’s business practice seems to be askew and it’s going into the future agreement in the same manner).
Where's it come off that you need an agreement that goes to 2027? Where's the business plan for the future of the Centre? What’s happened to the Centre’s idea of qualifying for grants that was spoken about last year and why the Centre can't have Town involvement? And all the big talk of the future of the Centre. It seems like there's more people sitting on the Centre's Board than actually work there and deliver programs. And now there will be 2 Councillors sitting on the board bogging down the process either further. More upper management than workers.
Where's their incentive to grow and expand and deliver more? (Like they were talking about last year) They'll get their budget every year now from the Town and keep delivering at the same level with no worries and everyone involved will deem it a success. What are they going to do differently and better in the future?
10:20 AM
ReplyDelete" The people in Aurora DESERVE a Culture Centre "
That is simply priceless! Like there were never programs for the arts in Aurora? And ' Culture would be dead " if the Culture Centre did not exist? Sorry to be laughing so hard at you. But your comment is absurd.
You're right, 9:50 AM (or would you prefer to be called Bruce?).
ReplyDeleteTo 10:20 AM
ReplyDeleteOK . YOU deserve the culture. Do you mind if we try and manage to make the Centre contribute to the tax base for your entitlement? Or do they get a free ride with no regard to the economic reality of a busted province and dwindling local revenue?
5:53 PM
ReplyDeleteI sincerely hope you are not suggesting that Mr Cuthbert is preparing to deliver yet another series of angry lectures on Evelyn's Blog. Hopefully you refer to Robert The Bruce who is still missed. He was a lot of fun.
No, 7:58 PM, neither of those two - a totally different Bruce.
ReplyDeletesimply dropping by to say hey
ReplyDelete