Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A
News Flash And A Response.":
The problem is not with your
explanation but rather the way it is frame -- you have your blog followers
believing that all this money is given away to a select few who have some sort
of private club -- in fact the contract and agreement have the Cultural Centre
providing services to the citizens of urora on behalf of the municipality --
it's OK to not like the model that is based on but the services are for the
citizens all -- not a select few. The same as arenas, the recreation facilities
etc
***************
The poster above reads me correctly.
My problem is not with programs provided.
The absent program is the one that sticks in my craw.
The raison d'etre. The purpose of the building .The reason for its renovation.:The Aurora Museum.
But that alone is not the problem.
The Consultant advised a separate arm's length body to provide for self- sufficiency of operation, free from tax support and political pandering .The theory had the appearance of merit..
It was just never going to work in the Town of Aurora. Or in Church Street School.
Being a charitable foundation, tax receipts could be issued to donors who wished,, like Ed Mirvish, to make culture available to the masses at a price they could afford.
First people of such wealth need to be encouraged.to give. Usually by people of similar wealth.
And willing and able to make donations of hundreds of thousands.
I didn't believe it when the consultant so advised. Not then and not now.
Nothing has happened to change my perception.
Secondly, the amount of space in Church Street School does not lend itself to performances that might attract sufficient audience to make it feasible.
The agreements provide a building with maintenance and rent free.
Hardly an element of self-sufficiency .
Seed money was warranted in the beginning.
A purchase of culture agreement allowing for funds to increase each year instead of decreasing, indicate it was never envisioned by the framers the building would become self-sufficient,
A scam like that might work in a city where people are not paying much attention.
It was never going to fly in Aurora.
Especially when the governing body excluded the Museum completely from the program right from the get-go.
I suspect, in the corridors of power, the project was recommended as an incubator to stimulate Aurora's economic development and the expenditures justified.
Destined to become the Cultural Centre of York Region and beyond and a centre of economic activity into the baragin.
There's as much chance of that happening as the framers of the agreements thought the project would ever become self-sufficient.
Last year we had a 4,5% tax increase in Aurora.
3 points of that were due to the expense of the Culture Centre.
Good fiscal management.
I think not.
Wednesday 19 December 2012
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8 comments:
" But , Evelyn, " they will whine. " We ' deserve ' the Culture Centre ". Nary a mention of self-sufficiency or a decrease in funding.
1:40pm....
So, what's wrong with whining? Council is there to serve the tax payers... All of the tax payers.
We have the right to whine!
OFF TOPIC
Someone at the Council meeting mentioned the possible damage to Aurora' reputation. That brought me up short. We dealt with thst problem at the polls and continue to do so in the courts. Aurora is still a great place in which to live. That has not changed.
No, 1:40 PM, I'd happily say that all Aurorans deserve a cultural centre.
As for whining, I'd love to see a decrease in that.
OK, 12:25 AM, Then let's make the thing self-sufficient as was the original plan. If that cannot be done, then no one ' deserves ' it. No more costly ads that exclude mention of the town, no more demanding negotiations that require lawyers & facilitators. Bring the Centre into line with every other group in town that doesn't demand special attention constantly,
Oops, 9:39 AM, there's that whining again that we were talking about.
I can't understand why the Cultural Centre has to march to the beat of a different drummer. Unless I actually visit their website, I never know what's going on there that I might want to drop in on. I am so very aware of all the activities available at the library and both recreation centres, and even the senior centre. Maybe someone from the Cultural Centre could write a weekly article for the paper, or have easy to read announcements there too. I just feel out of the loop. What am I missing, and why?
"What am I missing, and why?"
A lot ... and that's the puzzler.
Read the What's Happening listings in The Auroran; the Cultural Centre usually has the most entries.
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