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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007 Hemmens Advisory .4 OF aS,t THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD THE HEMMENS' NORTH LOBBY n . `��� January 11, 2007 �A T�_ 4� r 8:00 A.M. egi° 0'1/E D Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from December, 2006 HAB Meeting III. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update b. Project Update N. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback V. Review of Gift Requests: a. YMCA VI. Report from ECAC VII. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: February 8,2007 VIII. Adjournment Attachments: December 2006 HAB Meeting Minutes Gift Requests(1) Gift Request Procedures r F:`Hemmens\tiHAB\2007\Agendas\January 2007 HAB Agenda.doc . The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting Minutes January 11,2007 Advisory Board Members Present: Chairperson Kay Weber, Jeff Grosser, Cathy Malm, Pete Garlock, Brenda Rodgers, Elaine Viviano Advisory Board Members Absent: Bernice Gromer, Rich Jacobs, Chris McHugh Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Bill Folk, Sandi Howard, Randy Reopelle, Cherie Murphy, The regularly scheduled January 11, 2007 meeting was called to order at 8:10 A.M. The December 14, 2006 meeting minutes were approved. Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff: Season Update Bill stated the season will be advertised on ViaMedia, a cable network this year. These ads will run on several stations each month on the W.O.W. network. Butch stated the package includes 49,000 households. Bill stated there are thoughts of a sponsorship for Naperville and the south region. Butch stated ads running on the weather channel since last Friday have already generated calls. Jeff asked if the ads and stations will be changed depending on which show is being advertised. Bill stated there are over thirty stations to choose for running the ads. Butch stated that visually the first 15 seconds of every ad will be the same, but the background music for each show will be different. The board members were invited to view the cable ads on Bill's computer. Kay asked what prompted the contract with the cable company. Bill stated that he was offered good rates, there is more exposure and the contract is for one year and can be terminated with two weeks notice. Butch stated that during the summer months when the Hemmens is not as busy, then the city will use ViaMedia to advertise for Fox Trot and other special events. Jeff asked if WGN was dropped as an advertiser. Bill stated he is checking the numbers to see how many people said they heard our ad on the WGN station. The contract probably won't be renewed. Kay stated the cable contract is the biggest advertising progress that has been made. Project Update Butch stated the carpet has been installed except for the stairs. The furniture has been delivered except for a few pieces that are backordered. The baseboards are being installed. The project should be completed in a couple of weeks. Positive comments were made about the new decorating when the E.S.O. performed over the weekend. No major projects are planned for next year. Spotlights are being purchased for the theatre. Kay stated people are always asking if another cultural center will be built. Butch stated the council instructed city staff to compile a list of financing options by either August or September. It will probably be 6 or 7 years before the building of a separate structure takes place. There is nothing more to report. Items of Discussion From Advisory Board Jeff asked if there was any response from calls made requesting email addresses. Butch stated there were a lot of individuals that prefer being called instead of emailed. Cathy asked how the sign up list for greeters was doing. Jeff stated there are still openings for the last part of the season. Kay asked if help was needed for the children's shows. Bill stated that there are enough ushers signed up for the children's shows. Brenda asked what time the greeters need to arrive before a performance. Jeff stated they should arrive 45 minutes before the show starts. Every performance he has seen has been good. Tickets are set aside at the box office for the greeters. REVIEW OF GIFT REQUESTS Vote for Y.M.C.A., 6 Approved, 0 Opposed Announcements Kay stated the next meeting will be on February 8, 2007. Report from ECAC No member was present from the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission. Jeff stated there will be a grand opening of the new facility at the professional building for ECAC on January 25, 2007. 2 • . Adiournment Meeting adjourned at 8:40 AM. Respectfully submitted, _ Sandi Howar. / Date Submitted Recording Secretary r 3 'ctOFE�C 0 ti THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD THE HEMMENS' NORTH LOBBY vir : ��, � February 8, 2007 8:00 A.M. O'lTE D Eb• Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from January 11, 2007 HAB Meeting III. Review of Gift Requests: * Note to Board Members: * a. Prairieview Elementary School Due to the PAYP b. Planetary Studies Foundation performance schedule, the c. Highlands Elementary meeting will need to be kept d. DuPage County 4H Foundation as concise as possible. e. McHenry County Jewish Congregation f. Ransom IL Lions Club You will notice that the Gift g. Corron Elementary PTO Requests have been moved to h. St. Mary's School the beginning of the meeting. i. St Edward Catholic High School In order to save time at the j. Prince of Peace Lutheran Church meeting, please review the k. Prairie View Grade School attached requests carefully 1. Dundee Crown Parents of Music Performers and be prepared to vote on m. Coleman Elementary School them. IV. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Staff Update b. Season Update c. Project Update V. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback VI. Report from ECAC VII. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: March 8, 2007 VIII. Adjournment Attachments: January 2007 Meeting Minutes Gift Tables: 2006 & 2007 Gift Requests (13) The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board DISCUSSION Notes NO QUORUM PRESENT February 8,2007 Advisory Board Members Present: Chairperson Kay Weber, Jeff Grosser, Rich Jacobs Advisory Board Members Absent: Bernice Gromer, Chris McHugh, Pete Garlock, Cathy Malm, Brenda Rodgers, Elaine Viviano Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Bill Folk, Carol Kurz, Randy Reopelle The regularly scheduled February 8, 2007 meeting was not called officially to order because there was no quorum. Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff: Since there was no quorum to vote on the gift requests, a discussion had begun on how to handle the requests received in the future. Suggestions were made that staff could approve requests or that members who could not be present could cast their votes via e-mail or fax prior to the meeting. Different scenarios for meeting schedules were also offered, including as needed meetings or meeting every other month. For the time being it was decided that the members present would cast their votes and that e-mails would be sent to the remaining members to cast their votes. rik REVIEW OF GIFT REQUESTS *Prairieview Elementary, 3 Approved, 0 Opposed Planetary Studies Foundation, 1 Approved, 2 Opposed Highlands Elementary, 0 Approved, 3 Opposed * DuPage County 4H Foundation, 3 Approved, 0 Opposed McHenry County Jewish Congregation, 0 Approved, 3 Opposed Ransom IL Lions Club, 0 Approved, 3 Opposed * Corron Elementary PTO, 3 Approved, 0 Opposed * St. Mary's School, 0 Approved, 3 Opposed * St. Edward Catholic High School, 3 Approved, 0 Opposed Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 2 Approved, 1 Opposed * Prairie View Grade School, 3 Approved, 0 Opposed * Dundee Crown Parents of Music Performers, 3 Approved, 0 Opposed * Coleman Elementary School, 3 Approved, 0 Opposed * indicates requests forwarded to HAB members for e-mail vote. Guidelines for gifts states out-of-town groups requesting gifts require a unanimous vote. Discussion ended at 8:45 AM. Respectfully submitted, i Carol Kurz r ate ubmitted Recording Secretary ,0 OF 6-40 A%. THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD THE HEMMENS' NORTH LOBBY March 8, 2007 8:00 A.M. Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from January 11, 2007 HAB Meeting III. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update b. Staff Update IV. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback b. Meeting Attendance c. Gift Request Parameters & Procedures d. Meeting Schedule V. Review of Gift Requests: a. Algonquin Longhouse b. The Literacy Connection c. Elgin Choral Union d. NIU College of Law e. Nature Ridge Elementary School VI. Report from ECAC VII. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: April 12, 2007 VIII. Adjournment Attachments: January, 2007 Meeting Minutes February 2007 Discussion Notes Gift Tables: 2006, 2007 Gift Requests (5) , The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting Minutes March 8,2007 Advisory Board Members Present: Chairperson Kay Weber, Jeff Grosser, Rich Jacobs, Cathy Malm, Brenda Rodgers, Elaine Viviano, Pete Garlock Advisory Board Members Absent: Bernice Gromer, Chris McHugh Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi,Bill Folk,Patrick Raddatz, Carol Kurz The regularly scheduled March 8, 2007 meeting was called to order at 8:05AM. The January 11, 2007 meeting minutes were approved. Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff: Bill informed the board that the 2006-2007 is near the end with Natalie MacMaster on Sunday, 3/11, Lost in Yonkers the end of the month with some press releases in the Courier, Daily Herald. A couple of Performing Arts for Young People are doing well. The numbers for Cherryholmes are not doing well, but in scaling the house, it may pay off early. Jim Peterik and World Stage are 1/3 sold out but it is 2 months out and no worries. Next season is pretty much wrapped up. Working with a brochure designer and should be able to show the council the end of April and go out the end of May and on sale either the first or second week of June. Jeff indicated he knows a person who saw MOMIX and knew one of the acts coming next year because he saw it on their website. Jeff said it was Alan Parsons who was coming to the Hemmens. Butch informed members about the staff update. The applications for Sandi's replacement were due to the city on Friday 3/2/07. There were a couple of applicants, but they will go through the testing process that HR does prior to us seeing who the applicants are. Hoping to get those done by the end of the week or early next week. Rich Jacobs arrived. Kay indicated there were a few things she would like to go over. One of the board members will be leaving, Bernice Gromer, and the board will have an opening. Kay had contacted Chris McHugh because he has not been in attendance and has been having family problems and has been traveling to and from Florida. The reason for calling everyone is the importance of having board members available for the various gift requests and the recipients of the gift requests need a yea or nay and if there is no quorum the HAB is not able to vote on them. They are then put in for the following month which at times is too late. In the discussion notes from last month, there were several subjects that were brought up. There was a problem in keeping people interested in attendance for the meeting and may change the meetings to once every other month. Kay thinks that the meetings should stay once a month and that is necessary for continuity of ideas and because of the number of gift requests; she does not think the meetings can be cut down. The meetings will stay once a month unless future interest is brought up on this subject. • • • The next thing to discuss is the interest people have in the new building that is supposedly to go up; discussions as to what may or may not happen to the Hemmens. It could be 6 or 7 years before anything goes through. It is important that the HAB concentrate on what's going on at The Hemmens. At this time the HAB is needed more than ever. Kay asked for more aggressive thought provoking ideas from the team behind her. She didn't want the board to sit back and do nothing. Kay would like the board members to get a feedback from neighbors,business associates, etc. to hear what they are saying about the new Hemmens project/concert hall, such as, is it a good idea, feasible, are people complaining about the money that will be spent. Kay would like it by next month's meeting, just a sheet a paper with the feedback as Butch, Bill, and herself would like to know. Pete asked if that would also include people who don't know anything about it. Kay responded yes. Butch responded that there are many options available and no one knows which way it may go, strictly a concert hall or a multi-purpose hall that a Broadway show can be brought into. If either one is built, will the Hemmens be torn down. There are even rumblings regarding the project to the North of the Hemmens may not be happening because the housing market is going soft and 50%of the units have to be pre-sold before obtaining financing. Rich asked if the information obtained from what is heard should also include the City officials, i.e., if they are saying something completely different. Rich indicated that the City officials go out to the public and are saying something completely different. Michael Pasterich of the ESO * was at Rich's Kiwanis' meeting a few days ago in which he said that it will be a symphony hall for the symphony with the Hemmens coming down. Cathy asked what does the symphony board want? Butch said the ESO wants a new symphony hall. Rich said they raised $5M and that's it and want the City to pay for everything. Butch indicated the symphony wants a symphony hall, not a multi-purpose hall. They don't care about the dance schools or about the type of shows The Hemmens presents. They want something that's made strictly for the symphony. Bill indicated that looking at the calendar 25 weekends would be their goal. The majority of "usable"time would be symphony time. Butch said in a multi-purpose facility that would give The Hemmens 25 weekends to book in other things. Based any model, the money they potentially could make in a multi-purpose hall compared to a symphony hall would be 2-3 times more than the symphony. A multi-purpose hall that has the adjustable acoustics for the symphony would allow anything; a symphony hall can't do full blown dance, can't do bus-and-truck Broadway shows and can't do a lot of the stuff The Hemmens does. Most of the community groups that use the building now, such as, Children's Theatre of Elgin, Christian Youth Theatre, etc., won't have a place to go, except to ECC. The thing that started this process was that ESO wanted to expand its dates but The Hemmens didn't have dates available so a 2nd space had to be created. 2 - • Kay said she wants to hear the pros and cons. She is also interested in hearing about any money that is earmarked for Hemmens. Is the south side lobby projects moving forward? If there is only one facility, not multiple facilities, the same problems needing more dates will exist. Brenda arrived and Kay brought her up-to-date on the Hemmens discussion. Jeff asked Brenda what her understanding about the new hall was; if built, what would happen to The Hemmens. Brenda responded that the council was still waiting for staff with figures on the new facility,but have not discussed Hemmens. The council was interested how it will be operated, what type of money for operation,where the money is going to come from. Rich responded that since Hemmens is up in the air, the council is not trying to save the Hemmens. Regardless, Hemmens may or may not be here. Butch stated there are a lot of numbers to be crunched. If the new facility is opened, then all of the administrative and box office would be moved into the new facility, so that The Hemmens would be opened when it needs to be opened for rehearsals and shows. There would be almost no overhead costs as The Hemmens would be shut down if nothing is in the building. This would take the operational deficit from $600,000 to $700,000 per year to less than $100,000. The deficit for the new building probably would be closer to one to two million dollars per year for a symphony hall as the revenue would not be as high as in a multi-purpose. For example, in Dallas/Fort Worth the symphony center loses about $2M a year, whereas Fort Worth has a multi- purpose theatre about the same size as Dallas theatre that actually breaks even. They do about 25% bus-and-truck dates and the type of shows we do and that accounts for about 75% of their revenue. They know that the big shows are subsidizing the fine arts shows. Jeff asked if the ESO would move if the new hall was not built. Butch answered that if the ESO doesn't get their orchestra hall, they had in some preliminary meetings said they would go someplace else but he does not know if they had said it publicly. Butch said during the process the whole question shifted from more dates to being about a place that's good enough for the ESO acoustically, because a multi-purpose won't be as good as strictly a symphony center. Brenda indicated that when she had gone on the trip last year, it was discussed that if it was done, would it be a multi-purpose or a concert hall, but the leanings were toward a multi- purpose. The Hemmens was not discussed, but she was not in favor of destroying the Hemmens, because she thinks Elgin needs both. It would depend upon how the numbers came back so that the City would not be the major contributor. Kay read a letter sent to the Box Office regarding the cancellation of the Neville Concert, praising the Box Office and Hemmens with the courteous and professional way the ticket refunds were handled. Butch read the Gift Request Parameters. If no quorum, the board can discuss, but no action can be taken. They have to be voted at a meeting, cannot accept electronically. If no quorum is rok present then the gift requests will be forwarded to the next meeting. In the future, gift requests will not be listed, because if a gift request is received the day before the meeting, then that 3 request can be included in the meeting. Randy and Butch thought that there needed to be some consistency—is the HAB looking for things that help the community vs. individuals, private vs. public. Butch asked that the HAB discuss these parameters, look at what is written, think how "` each person wants it to change and how to tighten it up to make it more consistent. the HAB cannot outright disregard religious organizations that make requests, but can consider if they will they help the community, such as a food bank, a school or is the activity evangelical with any benefits based on listening to a sermon or preaching. Kay went thru the gift request parameters that are currently on file that a standard gift is $50.00, redeemable for 2 years, can be used for Hemmens sponsored shows, adult and children, or for Hemmens merchandise. The board can issue $2,000 in a one year period. She said that according to the current guidelines, Elgin groups need a simple majority while groups outside of Elgin require a unanimous vote but that rule hasn't been followed. Butch indicated that the Elgin vs. non-Elgin rule had not been enforced previously but in 2007, it had been. Butch asked if the HAB wants to be more flexible in what they are doing to get the Hemmens' name out to the community and use it as a marketing tool. Pete stated that part of the problem was the ceiling of$2,000. Butch said the amount can be raised from the current $2,000 to $3,000. The funds would come from the current marketing fund. But the HAB still need to be accountable for the choices. He indicated that gift certificates are easy to give but some decisions have to be made and there needs to be some limitation. The HAB needs to weigh against criteria not personal choices. Rich stated we should not take any more money from marketing to add to the allotment. Marketing is the most important thing to Hemmens. He is constantly talking to people who live in the city (Chicago), and Elgin itself, who have never heard of the facility. He pointed out that of all the donations given in 2006, only six have been redeemed. And only two were redeemed from the previous year. Butch said$3,000 can set aside as opposed to $2,000 but the fact is the balance won't be known until the year is complete. If the money is not being targeted for gift requests, it can be freed up for other spending. Kay asked if that was correct, that only two gift certificates have been redeemed for the 2006 season? Butch said because of City computer updates, some of the necessary information has been lost or did not get updated. At this time he did not have an accurate number for 2006. There were six certificates redeemed from the 2005 season, two from Chicago, two from Elgin, and one from St Charles and one from Burlington. Rich asked if there was a way to make the giving of the certificates a "bigger" deal in terms of advertising. When the gift certificate is mailed, brochures, letters should also be sent to be displayed on the table to promote the Hemmens. This should be a requisite to receiving a gift certificate. Is there something staff can come up with that would catch the attention of the people so they would know who The Hemmens is and that it gave to that event? The Hemmens needs to maximize its marketing powers especially to areas outside of the immediate area. 4 • r ` 4 Bill indicated that if the name of the individual receiving the gift certificate was obtained, it could be a way of building our mailing list. If they are not interested in one performer, maybe they will be interested in other events, inasmuch as they have 2 years from date of issuance to #""^ redeem. Butch stated that there needs to be a consistent policy in order to make a proper choice or the board members could come to the meeting and just vote yes or no,just like the council; is there any discussion, and if no discussion,take a vote. Pete stated that he likes the idea of a backup of"why" in case the Board is ever approached. The backup, of course, is the recording of the minutes and the action taken. Rich stated his concern if certain religious groups were to get together and say we are being biased against certain factions requesting donations Are all of the gift going to C3, non profit organizations?This is again why a clear set of guidelinesneeds to be followed. Kay requested everyone remember the feedback from friends and neighbors. If that information could be given to Butch by April 2nd or 3rd so he could include it in his e-mail in preparation of the next meeting on April 12. She would also like everyone to give a little thought to the parameters of the gift requests so that can be narrowed down. Jeff indicated that he has 2 greeters for Sunday, Kay and Brenda. Still need greeters on 3/23 & 24 for"Lost in Yonkers". REVIEW OF GIFT REQUESTS Vote— Algonquin Longhouse, 0 Approved, 7 Opposed Vote—The Literacy Connection, 7 Approved, 0 Opposed Vote—Elgin Choral Union, 7 Approved, 0 Opposed Vote—NIU College of Law,4 Approved, 3 Opposed Vote—Nature Ridge Elementary School, 4 Approved, 3 Opposed, 2 Abstained Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 9:15AM. Respectfully submitted, ,■`al■A ,✓ -moo.--off Carol Kurz ' r Date Submitted Recording Secretary 5 <4 OF ELOi \�, THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD The Hemmens' SOUTH Lobby or►,= April 12, 2007 °� L� 8:00 A.M. 4:9 Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from March, 2007 HAB Meeting III. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update IV. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback/Review of lists b. Gift Request Guidelines ("'" V. Review of Gift Requests: VI. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: May 10,2007 in SOUTH Lobby VII. Adjournment Attachments: April,2007 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests (6) r The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board DISCUSSION Notes April 12,2007 NO QUORUM PRESENT Advisory Board Members Present: Chairperson Kay Weber, Jeff Grosser, Rich Jacobs, Pete Garlock Advisory Board Members Absent: Chris McHugh, Cathy Ma1m, Brenda Rodgers, Elaine Viviano Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Bill Folk, and Carol Kurz The meeting area was changed from the S. Lobby to the N ExHall as the lobby was cold. The discussion on April 12, 2007,was called to order at 8:12AM. Items of Discussion: There was no quorum but a short discussion was held. The discussion largely revolved around the prospects of a new PAC with some frustration expressed about the lack of info available to HAB members. It was suggested that a member of the City Manager's staff be invited to a meeting to update the Board and answer questions. A quick update was given regarding staffing at The Hemmens with mention of the FT Secretary position still being vacant and that a new PT Supervisor position was being created and would be filled shortly. Bill gave a quick update on the season with mention of the disappointing attendance at Lost in Yonkers and a reminder that Cherryholmes and Jim Peterik were coming up. Kay stated that the next meeting is May 10, 2007. Discussion ended at 8:45AM Respectfully submitted, /v --v 7 Carol Kurz Date Submitted Recording Secretary 1 ,C.{ OF F(C G` \'ti THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD The Hemmens' North ExHall .4 �� May 10, 2007 8:00 A.M. GO° ore Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from March 8, 2007 HAB Meeting III. Election of a Hemmens Advisory Board Chairperson IV. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. New PAC Possibilities b. Season Update c. Staffing Update V. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback b. Gift Request Guidelines VI. Review of Gift Requests: VII. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: June 14, 2007 VIII. Adjournment Attachments: March 2007 Meeting Minutes April 2007 Discussion Notes Gift Requests .+ The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting Minutes May 10,2007 Advisory Board Members Present: Kay Weber, Pete Garlock, Rich Jacobs, Cathy Maim Advisor Board Members Absent: Bernice Gromer, Elaine Viviano, Chris McHugh, Brenda Rodgers Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Bill Folk, Randy Reopelle, Pat Raddatz, Carol Kurz The regularly scheduled May 10, 2007 meeting was called to order at 8:06AM. The March 8, 2007 meeting minutes were approved. Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff At 8:06 AM there was no quorum,then Pete Garlock walked in which made it a meeting. Kay indicated that her term for Chairperson was up and asked if anyone was interested in running for that position. There was no response and Kay said she was interested in continuing. A motion was made to approve Kay for another year. She thanked everyone for their vote of confidence. Butch said he was hoping someone from the City Manager's Office would be here to go over the Performing Arts Center possibilities which will be tabled until next month's meeting. With the new City Council members being seated, schedules change quickly so it wasn't a surprise someone wouldn't have been able to make it. Bill informed all present of the 2007-2008 season,both Adult&PAYP. The adult shows are a little heavy on the oldies, but a lot of variety. He also informed everyone of the various sponsors for some of the shows, as well as for the entire season. The children's have returning favorites, as well as some new shows from Theatreworks, which has been scaled back. Bill indicated that also in the brochure will be the Fox Fire Fest which is the former Fine Arts Festival. It is a larger festival at the new Festival Park Brochures will be going out the last week of May and tickets go on sale June 13, 2007. Instead of inserting brochures in the newspapers this year, Butch had a good idea to do some very nice ads in the newspapers in the timeframe we normally did the insertions which probably will be late July, and possibly the et week of September, then advertise individual shows. Butch indicated that 200 people have applied for the position of Full Time Secretary. There are 2 tests that the applicants must pass and none of the internal applicants passed. Hopefully we will be able to interview within the next couple of weeks. Butch indicated there is one show left for this season Jim Peterik and World Stage, next Friday, May 18, 2007. It will be a good show as he is having a lot of great performers. He informed the board members the artists who will be performing with Jim Peterik. Kay asked if there was any more information on the surveys that would be relevant so questions that can be presented to the new city council members. Jeff asked how the process for members of the board will be done. Butch indicated that is done thru the City Clerk and the Mayor's Office. Mayor will recommend people,but Butch will email to the Clerk's Office how many people we need and who not to recommend for extending their term. Butch asked if in the future cash requests should be forwarded to the board or not. The response was"no". REVIEW OF GIFT REQUESTS Vote—League of Women Voters—5 Approved, 0 Opposed Vote—ReMax—5 Approved, 0 Opposed Vote—Adult&Child Rehab Center—3 Approved, 2 Opposed Vote—Shelter, Inc.—0 Approved, 5 Opposed Vote—Gail Borden Library—5 Approved, 0 Opposed Vote—Pay-It-Forward House VFP—5 Approved, 0 Opposed Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 8:40AM. Next meeting June 14, 2007 Respectfully submitted, A 4,/v._,e)7 Carol Kurz Date Submitted Recording Security 2 ,c. OF EcC G` l Et. THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD /1101k THE HEMMENS' NORTH LOBBY 0:0, June 14, 2007 o�� .... . ��� 8:00 A.M. ad??lTED 1t\',. Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from, 2007 HAB Meeting III. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update b. Project Update c. Staff Update r IV. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback b. Gift Request Guidelines V. Review of Gift Requests: VI. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: July 12,2007 VII. Adjournment Attachments: May, 2007 Meeting Minutes Gift Tables: 2006, 2007 Gift Requests F:\He niensz.HA `2CCJ7\AgendastJune 2007 HAB Agenda doe r r • • The Hemmens Cultural Center Advisory Board Meeting Minutes June 14,2007 Advisory Board Members Present: Kay Weber, Rich Jacobs, Cathy Malm, Pete Garlock Board Member Absent: Jeff Grosser Staff Present: Butch Wilhelmi, Bill Folk, Randy Reopelle, Carol Kurz CMO: Sean Stegall to discuss the downtown and Hemmens' future The regularly scheduled June 14, 2007 meeting was called to order at 8:06AM. The May 10, 2007 meeting minutes were approved. Items of Discussion from Hemmens' Staff The meeting was turned over to Sean Stegall to give the board an update regarding the possibility of a new Performing Arts Center or Symphony Hall. He mentioned that members of the symphony and city council will visit the multi-purpose facility in Nashville, which was just built. He stated that the reason for these trips was to hear from other venue owners as there are many types of options, different ways to do it; some having made mistakes and regretting it. It is a long term project. The analysis completed by Economic Research Associates (ERA) in partnership with consultants Fisher-Dachs Associates (FDA), which is the pre-eminent hall consulting firm in the country, concluded that if Hemmens were to continue to grow, not only with the symphony but also with the Hemmens shows, adult and children's, more seats and dates are needed. The number they came up with was ideally 1,800 to 2,100 seats; anything higher than that will mean competing with other venues. A comparison is Bass Hall in Texas. Bass uses the profits from their touring shows to underwrite the cost of other shows that are more community based and do not have the profitability. Sean stated that there is a desire to have a new hall. One obstacle that has been crossed is that the decision has been made that if a new facility is built, it would be a multi-purpose facility. The difference is a pure concert hall primarily by and for a symphony would not have to have a fly tower. That would limit the City's ability to capitalize in areas that we could grow in, one of which would be Off-Broadway shows. The City doesn't want to take away that growth opportunity. A 2nd area would be community groups; who knows where the Elgin Opera will be 20-30 years from now. They need a multi- purpose facility as well. That's a decision that has been made and lastly, a multi-purpose facility would have more segments for the community. The question now is to go with a brand new facility in place of the Hemmens or to keep the Hemmens and build a 2nd facility. No determination has been made on that, but from a budget finance standpoint, Sean doesn't think it is practical for the City to own and maintain two venues over time. There is no precedence on this in the country. Another option that needs to be worked out is making major improvements to The Hemmens in the range of$20-$30 million - adding seats, new façade, restrooms on the l St floor, etc. The downside to this is it's like putting a new engine in a 15 year old car. It may be the only thing we need to do and a $30 million investment in the Hemmens seems like a cheap alternative compared to a $100+million new facility. At this point there is no new activity other than the field trip because the housing market needs to improve to improve the city's finances, which improves our ability to develop more land downtown, which creates a funding source to help pay for an effort like this. But until that situation changes, we had a focused discussion with the symphony about a month ago. Sean stated that he does expect this fall during the budget process, some sort of a decision will have to be made regarding proceeding and holding off on a couple of million dollars of improvements to The Hemmens, primarily the restrooms on the first floor which is a longstanding need. The City doesn't want to put $2 million into this if it needs the $2 million as a down payment for a brand new facility. Unfortunately, there are a lot more questions than answers. One benefit of the ERA/FDA study is that the profile is raised on the importance of the Hemmens. All the data has come out as to how many visitors it draws, how important it is for the downtown. There is nothing like the Hemmens for drawing people from other communities to see Elgin. In addition to the seasons, the economics and non-performance related benefits,has no downside to that. Kay informed Sean that the original reason for the ESO to have their own facility was for more dates. If there is one new facility, the same situation will occur. She asked if there was some sort of idea as to how many dates The Hemmens will have? Sean indicated that if The City were to build a new facility, the symphony would have to make a major investment. If they put up $20-$30 million, they would want as many dates as possible. Rich said that is not what Michael Pastreich is saying. They have raised $5 million in pledges and they are satisfied with that. Sean said that he believes they have several million in pledges. They want the facility at the least cost to them. The City could tell the ESO that they will have to raise $30 million and if they can't raise$30 million, the City can't do it. The more dates would be for City shows, which would include Off—Broadway, and the symphony. A facility for the dance schools, Children's Theatre, etc. may not be part of the equation. It would be a decision the council would have to make. Rich asked where those places would go that have been here for 25-30 years. Sean indicated there may not be a place for them. Rich indicated that the original intent the Hemmens was built and willed to the city was for the community. Sean indicated that it would be set aside. He stated that these are difficult choices and no way to sugar coat it. These are some of the things the council would have in front of them. It is possible to keep The Hemmens and build a 2nd place but he doesn't think it is practical over the long term. Rich asked if it was true that the symphony is a drag on the budget. Sean agreed. Butch asked if the City would build a facility, see what this does, and see realistically how the funding turns out before the Hemmens is torn down. 2 Sean indicated he did not know, but the land may be needed to build a City Hall on it. That complicates the matter and if they don't, then it would make sense to try it for a while. Randy stated that politically it would be better to do that. If you talk about a new performance center and take the Hemmens down, you have all the Hemmens supporters against that. The City will already be fighting the people that are upset anytime the City does anything and spends the money on anything besides sidewalks and streets. If The Hemmens is considered for demolition that adds another 10,000 people that are Hemmens supporters. Politically you are doubling or tripling your opposition. He suggested that a better strategy would be an increase in cultural opportunities rather than a decrease if just one hall exists. Every time there is are dance recitals, a new group of people come who have never been here. One new trip is worth a lot more than a repeat trip which can lead to ticket sales. Butch indicated that on Wednesday when the dance group let out they went down to the river and island taking pictures. Sean indicated that politicians know there is no recovery. This would be by 100% or more the largest public works project the city has ever done. Every street in Elgin could be repaved with the cost of$100 million. People will compare that. There is a reason why no community has two venues. As Randy had spoken last night at the council, there is a need for a recreation center, need for more parks, more soccer fields and a new City Hall in the near future. This competes with all those. This community has a lot more needs or desires than the ability to pay ' for them and can afford to do only about 10% of them. At the end of the day there will be winners and losers whether it's the dance schools or a street project. The council will take as much input and then make an extremely tough decision. Kay indicated that at times the Board feels left out and does not know how to answer questions regarding the Hemmens. Rich indicated that when you go to a meeting the symphony is holding, it is entirely different scenario than what we know. Kay stated that the Board would like a little more feedback or a little more input so they don't feel uninformed when people approach them. Sean indicated that a better job can be done. For instance, things that are being said today are not being said publicly. Most of the information that is out in the public is driven by the symphony and the media. The media is asking the candidates if they support the hall and that is a ludicrous question since the candidates don't have the information to say if they do or don't. Sean pointed out that it is an interesting, exciting, and sexy thing to talk about and right now there is not much to talk about. He repeated that other than the field trip, there is no real activity, but the symphony wants to create some sort of false activity to keep a buzz. Rich indicated that the symphony will go to Schaumburg if they get a new concert hall. Sean stated they don't have many options. If Schaumburg builds their facility, which it doesn't look like they will, it will be multi-purpose. 3 Rich indicated that if they are willing to step up and help build a$100 million symphony center, that other community symphonies have, i.e., the Chicago Symphony has an improved facility, but not to the tune of$100 million by the city of Chicago. Sean stated Schaumburg's plan is to build 2,500 seats, but that market has now gone to the Sears Center. But if they decide to build before Elgin, then that will create a problem. Schaumburg has a million-and-a-half to a $2 million a year subsidy on their new hotel convention center. It's a jewel of a facility but that's a big budget item. The Hemmens is never going to break even, it was never intended to break even, and it's not possible. A newer facility will add several hundred thousand dollars in subsidies. The Hemmens staff has the best operating position with several hundred thousand dollar subsidy compared to any other hall in this area, which is a great thing to report. The Hemmens operates as well as it can. Sean indicated that probably there will be one or two more meetings or trips for the members to go on. Rich asked how many years it will take to be completed and operational, 3 or 4 years. Sean answered in terms of construction, probably 18 months, as the land for it is mostly assembled, which usually takes a long time. The land is across the street from the library and 90% of it is assembled. A giant parking deck will be behind it. It could be a multi-multi purpose facility. It could be a performing arts center with City Hall on top of it, post office, etc. Rochester, New York's facility is a transit station, county administration building, federal building, and a performing arts center. The reason they put federal and state offices in there is it helps to provide justification for those levels of government to provide some funding. For flibk instance if a transit component is included, it helps to get mass transit money from the federal government. The Dayton Regional Metro area has a little kiosk to sell tickets and that alone provided an argument for them to get $10 million from the federal government. Private funds will be important; for example, Bass Hall, the Bass family wrote a check for $50 million. In this area there is certainly wealth but not the wealth associated with the Hemmens. Rich stated that once the community realized that the Bass Family was involved, they pulled in other community groups to support the facility. Sean stated the Bass model was the ideal situation. It was $65 million(so now to build it would be $130 million), $50 million from one family, another$10-15 million from several other groups and individuals. Bass Hall is stunningly gorgeous, sounded great. It has a trumpeter angel on the outside; very Texas; everything was oversized. They have four main tenants: symphony, city-sponsored shows, ballet and opera and some miscellaneous dates which are not many. In Elgin the main tenants would be symphony, City, Children's Theatre, and other events. The opera could become something in about 20-30 years. Who would ever know that the symphony in the 30 years would be as large as they are today. Whoever would have thought 50 years ago Elgin would have what we have. That is why it has to be multi-purpose; it has to be future proof. The City doesn't want to spend $100 million and ten years from now have it bomb. Butch indicated that the Bass Hall building size should have been increased, but since they are landlocked, it explains the reason their lobby is small. Their offices and rehearsal space are in a building across the street. 4 Sean said that during the symphony performance he had gone across the street to get coffee and telk there was lots of energy around the hall, a lot of people on the street and he thinks that Elgin is getting closer to that. It's amazing the difference that demolishing the Unilever building has made,making the Hemmens more visible. Cathy indicated that it is hard to have a restaurant survive and there are few places to go to eat. Sean indicated that there is a lot more people with disposable income living in downtown. Right now there are three good restaurants looking to open in downtown within the next year or two, a steak place, possibly a high end Irish pub, and a sit down pizza pub. Randy indicated how much Festival Park is bringing people in. People walking along the river and during the day it's packed, playing in the water. Some businesses had placed tables on the sidewalk realizing the number of people walking by. On opening day restaurants were running out of food. Sean indicated another issue with the Hemmens is that it is a little isolated. That part of downtown is hidden; City Hall is front of it, as well as the court facility, and parking lot. You can imagine with City Hall being gone and relocated. There is a lot of interest in the Moose Hall property. Things like that connect the downtown. Even so Elgin has a phenomenal facility that most cities don't have. Sean indicated there will be a new council member on the board, but a letter will be received regarding who it will be. Most senior council members don't have many responsibilities because they have done everything; it's one of the new members. Sean left at 8:40AM. Season Update: Butch indicated that the internet sales were down 2-1/2 hours so the numbers aren't what they might have been. BM indicated that$50,000 was not bad. Butch stated that there were 451 separate orders, which ironically is what our capacity is. He asked Bill how many tickets were sold. Bill replied that 1,248 tickets were sold Rich asked how people heard the tickets were on sale. Bill replied through the mailing and the print ad with the Kane County Chronicle because they have a special discount and it is the only ad we have running so far. Our cable ads start today, Late July we will be doing a big print ad blitz. In past years we had inserted the brochure in several newspapers. Butch suggested that fewer brochures be printed and nice ads be bought instead. We were paying for an additional 200,000 brochures to be printed and paying for them to be inserted. Late July or early September probably will be doing a radio blitz. Advertising on WGN was to increase our exposure to large audiences. 5 Butch indicated that for the amount of money we were spending with WGN for a couple of 30 second spots on Saturday and Sunday, we weren't seeing the return. We are still looking at that but leaning towards not doing it. Randy indicated that September 28 and 29 Elgin is going to have the Illinois Wine Festival. Pete indicated there is an organization that is promoting Illinois wines and their 1s` annual wine fest will be held at Festival Park. There are 47 wineries in Illinois and people don't know that. There will be 47 venders and approximately 100 craft vendors. Randy would like to promote the wine festival with the Hemmens events. The group had always done it at equestrian sites, but this year Randy and Pete brought them to Elgin and gave them a tour of Festival Park and the river. Festival Park will eventually be expanded and will draw people from all over the area. Rich stated he moved here in 2000 and since that time a lot of nice things have been happening. Butch indicated that the City had a marketing outreach on Bowes Road; representatives were there from The Hemmens, library, The Centre, etc. There were positive comments about The Hemmens and downtown Elgin in general which was exciting. People liked the way the downtown is being fixed up. 200 Hemmens brochures and coffee mugs were handed out at Del Webb's Edgewater Community. Regarding the staff update for the Full time Secretary position, he was not able to say anything. Interviews were supposed to be on Monday, June 11, but some of the Civil Service Commissioners could not make it. There were 200 applicants, but 51 candidates passed all the tests. There will be an interview with the top three. Kay said the community feedback was covered with Sean being here. She asked to review the various gift requests. Rich asked when the new budget will be. Rich indicated he will not be here for the next meeting. Butch informed the budget process will be soon. The next meeting July 12, Butch will not be here,but Bill will be in charge. Rich stated that there is a lot of misinformation about the"symphony center". Butch indicated that the symphony wants to extend their season and we had moved two long term renters from their weekends and one had gone someplace else. Five or six years ago the symphony had six classic concerts, three pops concerts and their gala, now they added two classics and another pops; they have taken our dates and had to put people off. They still do shows in Schaumburg. We began to do two shows on the same weekend because we don't have the ability to spread them out as they should be. It is a struggle for us, mainly Bill, booking wise and the symphony will want dates that have traditionally been other people dates. 6 Cathy asked to see the master plan and if it could be presented. Butch stated that he will bring the master plan to the August meeting. The master plan called for the south side addition. If we do the south side, we will do the north side addition and an addition on the back. If we add seats or raise the stage house, we will be shut down for at least a season or a season and-a-half. 550 seats could be added in the house by adding box seats and another balcony. Kay indicated that we should have a big marquee, ticket office. Butch indicated that the box office would be reached from the outside. The admin office would be moved from the lower level and on an average day that section of the building would be open. The entire building would not have to be opened every day. REVIEW OF GIFT REQUESTS Vote—Association for Individual Development—4 Approved, 0 Opposed Vote—Cary 26 Education Foundation—3 Approved, 1 Opposed Vote—DuPage County 4H Foundation—0 Approved, 4 Opposed Vote—Hope for Vision—0 Approved, 4 Opposed Vote—Meadows Association—4 Approved, 0 Opposed Vote—The Salvation Army—0 Approved, 4 Opposed Vote—River Valley—2 Approved, 2 Opposed (1st time) Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 9:00AM. Next meeting July 12, 2007 Respectfully submitted, � /01, O7 Carol Kurz Date Submitted Recording Security F:Heinmens'IIAB\2007`.Minutes;IIAB Mt;Minutes 6 14 07.doc 7 OF Et.0 c. = ti THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD , THE HEMMENS' NORTH LOBBY 0. � � July 12, 2007 %� tr b 8:00 A.M. UN 1 TED Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order II. Approval of minutes from June, 2007 HAB Meeting III. Introductions IV. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update b. Project Update V. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback VI. Review of Gift Requests: VII. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: SEPTEMBER 13,2007 VIII. Adjournment Attachments: June, 2007 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests 0607 HAB Info alti° Office: (847) 697-3616 Box Office: (847) 931-5900 Fax: (847) 931-5940 The Hemmens City of Elgin 150 Dexter Court Elgin, Illinois 60120 HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD NOTICE OF CANCELLATION OF MEETING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the August 9, 2007 regularly scheduled meeting of the Hemmens Advisory Board is cancelled. The next meeting is scheduled for September 13, 2007, at 8:00 a.m. DATED: August 2, 2007. CITY OF ELGIN By Butch Wilhelmi Cultural Center Supervisor `�,, OF F E.{Ci c. ti THE HEMMENS ADVISORY BOARD eA y THE HEMMENS' NORTH LOBBY iiiir Decembe r 13, 2007 8:00 A.M. 41/11)0" Mission Statement: It is the mission of The Hemmens Cultural Center to provide high quality, diverse performing arts productions for our region, while continuing to provide an accessible well-maintained & well-equipped rental facility for local, regional and national cultural, civic and social organizations. AGENDA I. Call to Order H. Approval of minutes from November, 2007 HAB Meeting III. Discussion Items from Hemmens' Staff: a. Season Update r IV. Discussion Items from Advisory Board: a. Community Feedback V. Review of Gift Requests: VI. Announcements: a. Next Hemmens Advisory Board Meeting: January 10,2008 VII. Adjournment Attachments: November, 2007 Meeting Minutes Gift Requests eillh