24 — Wednesday, April 14, 1999 — North Shore News

hy West Vancouver needs an arts centre

Maggie Pappas
Contributing Columnist

EVERY few years since
1957, West
Vancouverites have
attempied to realize <n
arts centre.

Each proposal has failed,
mostly because of money.
Until now.

After submitting a report
to council in 1997 that indi-
cated a fully programmed
facility couid be self-support-
ing, 2 task force I chaired
became the registered, not-
for-profit society known as the
West Vancouver Arts Centre
Trust.

When the mayor and coun-
cil challenged community
groups to raise funds to build,
equip and endow this model
from non-raunicipal sources,
we accepted, and they unani-
mously endorsed our efforts.

Gur board and community
committees are comprised of
accounting, financial, business,
legal, arts, planning, education
and marketing professionals.
Many groups, individuals and

KY
Wonderful Garden

prospective donors support us,
some with substantial pledges.

The Arts Centre Trust has
dedicated 24 years to research-
ing and planning this learning-
based arts centre model within
the context of West Van's
needs.

We have read reports, con-
sulted experts, visited and
examined B.C. and interna-
tional facilities — some excel-
lent, and some troubled, like
Mississauga’s Living Arts
Centre, a massive facility that
never implemented the pro-
gramming required for operat-
ing revenue, Everything we
learned has led us to three

Tea Off

imperatives: 5 ¢ the arts in
the commuiity, plan well and
maintain fiscal responsibility.

We are committed to an
exciting vision for an interac-
tive, hands-on, learning-based
Arts Centre of Excellence that
will be West Van's gathering
place, give our many arts
groups a hame, facilitate our
community’s exploration of its
history and folklore, celebrate
its famous artists at home, ini-
tate mentoring programs
berween talented seniors and
children, and allow our youth
to gain arts experience in one
of B.C.’s few growth indus-
tries.

West Van's longstanding
need tor performance space
will join its reverence for the
visual arts in an integrated
facility.

Tiered programming,
rentals, festivals and endow-
ments already pledged will
find presentations and exhibi-
tions. Compared to others,
this facilicy will be small, in
keeping with the community it
serves. There will be no
municipal operating grants.
Peri

?

—”

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and this is the official TEA off event!

Come on out for tea!

Together, we'll plant the seeds for another season of successful fundraising

through community Chari-TEAs!

Sunday, May 2nd, 1999
Capilano College Birch Building
Parking is Ample and Free!

tar

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2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Charge tickets by phone: 984-4983 Visa, Mastercard, or Cheques accepted.

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for the benefit of:
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Lions Gate Hospital Foundation
Memorial Library Foundation of West Vancouver
North Shore Community Foundation

EO

north shore:

oA

The proposed arts centre
will include a 350- co 400-seat
community theatre (half
Centennial's size); a small
rehearsal studio; a Class A art
gallery, temperature-humidity
controlled to show, house and
receive donations of top-quali-
tv art; a film/TV /animation
studio; and dance, music, the-
atre and visual arts classroom-
studios for delivery of multi-
level arts programming.
Integration of computers and
the Internet is a core essential,
as is design flexibility allowing
maximum rental use.

Tes “arts village” design will
mirror Ambleside-Dundarave
small-scale architecture with
landscaped courtyards, light
and views,

We commissioned a protes-
sional finding feasibility study
that tested our concept with
resident corporate and profes-
sional leaders who said the
funds exist for this project,
providing the site is attractive-
ly and prominently located.

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This was, they noted,
essential to a business plan
that could attract donations.

We asked our leading land-
holders to assess potential
sites. Noting our constrained
land base, they said making
room for such a project would
require long-range vision and
co-operation,

Ther short-listed avo
municipal sites, both in cur-
rent uve: 13h and Marine
(compnsing part of the gravel
soccer field, three tennis
courts and a small parking
fot), and an unidentified site(s)
within West Vancouver's exist-
ing central ree centre. (The
Chamber of Commerce has
just proposed another site to
council.)

The 13th and Marine site

"was judged far more viable as
an arts centre site than any
other—providing the sports
use could be relocated, a point
the site report specitically
made.

Council has brought for-

ward nvo motions. The first,
not yet passed, “reserves” the
13th and Marine site for the
arts centre facility, pending the
trust raising funds and meet-
ing bylaw requirements.

The second, already passed,
assures relocation of the gravel
soceer field to an improved
site, should the arts centre
impact it.

Five new field sites have
been identified, on which soil
assessment has begun.

What does this mean?

It means that we could
gain playing fields and have an
arts centre. No iand will be
“given away “ to our group or
any other, Ever.

“Reserving” the site for the
arts centre means the trust can
get on with fundraising.

Both the site and the com-
pleted facility will belong to
the people of West Van. There
are many community facilities
built and operated in the same

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