Arts committee calls on Kincardine council to ensure arts centre will be fixed up

The arts committee wants Kincardine council to guarantee that there will be money in the 2015 budget to fix up the Kincardine Arts Centre.

Marilyn Clarke made a presentation to council in committee-of-the-whole, at its final meeting of last year (Dec. 17).

She said the arts committee is a group of tenants currently residing in the arts centre, along with recreation director Karen Kieffer, and deputy mayor Jacqueline Faubert.

The group meets every month to exchange information, relay concerns regarding the building to staff and council, and plan a path forward to accommodate tenants in the vital role of providing the community with arts, culture and heritage assets.

Clarke outlined the committee's concerns which are:

• No storage and no crew space
• Closure of the basement – mould abatement in the basement
• Well-documented safety and health concerns, as outlined in the conditions report
• Need for better use of space available and addition of public washrooms

She said the arts committee has come to council three times: in December, 2011, again in September, 2012, and one more time in September, 2013, when council finally accepted the motion to begin renovations to the arts centre.

Council accepted a phased-in approach, with Phase 1 funded by the arts facility reserve fund, and then council to identify in the 2015 budget the funding sources for Phase 2.

Clarke said the total scope of renovations would cost $1.567-million.

Phase 1 – tendering for detailed design - $173,000. This would be funded from the arts facility reserve.

Phase 2 – tendering and basement renovations, HVAC (heating and air-conditioning) and the Victoria Park washrooms - $965,000. Funding would come from the arts facility reserve ($292,000), the tourism reserve fund ($275,000 for Victoria Park washrooms), and the remaining $398,000 would be funded from other reserve funds, such as the capital reserve fund ($32,000), tourism reserve fund ($308,000), tax mitigation reserve fund ($3,200), lifecycle reserve fund ($901,000), Ward 1 equipment replacement reserve fund ($334,000), or Ward 1 industrial reserve fund ($783,000).

Phase 3 – tender for construction – including the Scougall Gallery and the main and second-floor renovations - $448,500. Funding would come from other reserve funds (see Phase 2).

In Kieffer's report from Aug. 28, 2014, she recommended that further construction, beyond Phase 2, be postponed until after the summer arts/theatre season, but continue with the tendering of Phase 3.

Clarke told council that the arts committee requests support for Phases 2 and 3 of the renovation project.
"We want a continued working relationship with Kincardine staff and engineers to address inadequacies and plan for the future," she said. "Our goal is a successful, sustainable arts community that contributes to the health and vitality of the municipality."

Councillor Maureen Couture said her concern is funding the final two phases of this project solely with reserve funds.

“We were hoping the old post office (annex building) would be sold and we could use that money for this project,” said mayor Anne Eadie, “but that hasn't happened yet.”

Faubert said the building has to be fixed up. “The arts centre houses Kincardine's arts, culture and heritage groups, and these tenants have already spent thousands of dollars to fix up parts of this building. What we have now are health and safety concerns that need to be addressed.”

Councillor Laura Haight asked if the new HVAC system would solve the problem of mould in the basement.

Chief administrative officer Murray Clarke said the mould abatement process, already completed, was a stop-gap measure. “The installation of a modern HVAC system is an absolute requirement for this building.”

Eadie said she will play a Scottish tune on the piano in the auditorium at the arts centre when Phase 2 is completed.

She thanked the arts committee for the presentation. Further discussion will take place at the budget talks which resume Jan. 12 at 5 p.m., in the council chamber at the municipal administrative centre.


Joining Marilyn Clarke (R) at the council meeting, are arts committee members Shirley Bieman (L), deputy mayor Jacqueline Faubert, and Bonnie Bryan