A preliminary decision on the future of the Elora Centre for the Arts is months away, despite options contained in a report from an outside consultant that will be discussed by the centre’s board of directors next month.
Board chair Joanne Grodzinski said what has been determined from the work done to date by consultant Dr. Rebecca Sutherns of Sage Solutions is that the board will not sell the heritage building occupying two-acres on Melville Street.
“There’s rumours going around that we’re closing,” Grodzinski told the Advertiser about a possible sale of the building.
“That’s not an option.”
In June the centre hosted two town hall meetings at Aboyne to gather information on how people see the future of the facility.
Selling the centre to a landlord who would lease it back to the board was an option debated at the town hall meetings and in individual interviews with local residents.
Other options included a mix of an art school and campus and other hybrid options.
The centre currently hosts a variety of arts, drama and music programs and exhibits, most notably its March Break and summer children’s programs. The children’s program has had full registration so far this summer.
The consultant work is intended to plot the future role of the centre in the community and surrounding area.
“The way we’ve been running business for the last 12 years, that is not the option to continue that,” Grodzinski said. “(We’re) redefining what we do as an organization.”
According to her, the board will be looking at options that produce “regular cash flow” and meet staff requirements.
The board operates with a current budget of $250,000 with about 80 per cent used annually for upkeep and maintenance of the building.
The board has also found provincial and federal government funding for the arts is on the decline.
The centre, according to Grodzinski, receives about $16,000 annually from the Ontario Arts Council, $5,000 from Centre Wellington and $2,000 from Wellington County. Taxes on the property are about $10,000.
“Our assets are greater than our liabilities,” she said of the $250,000 mortgage on the property valued conservatively at $1 million or more.
Grodzinski said the board is also looking at an option to team up with a developer, although she added specifics of a partnership remain unknown.
Teaming up with a developer could also bring expertise on how to get grants and how a restructured organization would operate.
“We know we can’t do it on our own. We need some expertise,” Grodzinski said.
The centre is in the process of planning its programs into 2015, including its summer children’s programs.
