HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-12-17 Arts Culture Commission MinutesDraft Minutes☐
Approved Minutes☒
Approved Date: 1/28/2016
Minutes
City Of Edina, Minnesota
Arts and Culture Commission
Edina City Hall Community Room
December 17, 2015
4:30 P.M.
I. Call To Order
Chair Meifert called the meeting to order at 4:35 p.m.
II. Roll Call
Commissioners Present: Kandace Ellis, Cheryl Gunness, Dana Lappin, Barbara La Valleur, Daniel Li, Ray
Meifert, Anne Miller, Kitty O’Dea and Steve Suckow.
Commissioners Absent: None.
Staff Present: Michael Frey, General Manager, Edina Art Center; Susan Faus, Assistant Director of Parks
and Recreation; Ann Kattreh, Director of Parks and Recreation.
Guests Present: Victor Pechaty, HGA Architects; George Sutton, Sutton and Associates; and Sara Shaylie,
Sutton and Associates; Jeff Bransford, Pros Consulting (via telephone).
Student Representatives Present: Olivia Chen.
Student Representatives Absent: Farhia Osman.
III. Approval Of Meeting Agenda
Mr. Frey noted that a revised agenda has been presented for this meeting, which will focus only on the
Grandview process overview and visioning, and the rest of the normal business will be considered at the
January meeting.
Chair Meifert noted the meeting agenda had been circulated and asked if there were requests for
additions or changes. No additions to the agenda voiced.
The Arts and Culture Commission approved the December 17, 2015 Agenda as amended.
Ayes: Kandace Ellis, Cheryl Gunness, Dana Lappin, Barbara La Valleur, Daniel Li, Ray Meifert, Anne Miller,
and Steve Suckow. Motion carried.
IV. Approval Of Meeting Minutes
Minutes to be approved at January 2016 meeting.
V. Special Recognitions And Presentations
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Approved Minutes☒
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No special recognitions or presentations.
VI. Community Comment
No comments.
VII. Reports/Recommendations
A. Grandview Update
Ms. Kattreh stated that the Grandview project has been in the works for many years and the City is still
working from the seven guiding principles that had already been developed. She provided background
information on the process beginning in November 2014, noting that three scenarios were developed
through the process with Frauenshuh and presented to the Council, with the Council ultimately
selecting scenario three. She stated that ESG Architects was engaged to refine scenario three and
further refinement is currently being completed to present to the Council by May of 2016. She advised
that a Task Force has been created and will meet with the consultants every step of the way throughout
this process, which is being led by HGA Architecture. She provided additional information on the public
input process, which will include two open house meetings.
Ms. Kattreh reviewed the key points for consideration from the City Council including what is known at
this time for the site and its components and the desires of the Council on items such as ratio of public
to private, size, green space, the possible inclusion of underground parking stalls, and desire of a large
meeting space that could also be used for rental purposes. She stated that this schedule is very tight
but believed that the City has the right team in place to make this happen and provide the report to the
City Council in May 2016. She stated that this process is very organized and will solicit input from the
Arts and Culture Commission, the Park Board, the City Council and residents.
Commissioner La Valleur asked if the facility will have a membership fee or whether the space would be
open to the public.
Ms. Kattreh stated that is not known at this time as all factors of that nature are still up for decision at
this time. She believed that the facility would contain a combination of both areas open to the public
and areas available through membership. She stated that she would expect the Art Center to continue
to run in its current function at this facility but enhanced. She stated that user group meetings will be
held the first week in January and would allow the Task Force to delve more into the needs and wants
of specific groups.
Mr. Pechaty referenced the schedule and provided details on the different identifying marks. He stated
that the process has three major phases, which will reach thresholds along the way in mid-February,
during the transition from March to April, and with completion of the Feasibility Report to present to
the Council in May. He stated that the first phase would be an information gathering phase and
provided additional information on the user group meetings that will occur during the first week in
January. He noted that the Senior Center and Art Center would be core programs included in the
facility and additional programing will also be included. He stated that once the information is known
on the size the building would need to be, a business plan would be developed and reviewed to
determine if that is the right vision for the facility. He stated that the vision would be reviewed by the
Arts and Culture Commission and Park Board before moving forward to the City Council. He noted that
alternatives would be provided as well so that the Council would not have an all or nothing decision to
make. He noted that a similar review by the Arts and Culture Commission and Park Board would be
done to determine consensus for a preferred alternative. He advised that the group will come before
this Commission three times during this process to solicit input. He stated that they would like to hear
input from the Commission and consider this as a visioning session for how the Commission would like
to see the Art Center programs transition from the current Art Center to the Grandview facility.
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Mr. Sutton stated that a lot of data and volunteer hours contributed to the seven guiding principles and
information provided and gathered thus far that would also be used throughout this process.
Mr. Frey provided historical information on the report that was developed by Sutton and Associates a
few years prior. He provided information on the existing Art Center facility and the programming
currently offered. He stated that the Art Center will continue to offer the current programing and
believed that the Art Center could serve additional residents if it were in a more central location. He
stated that the Art Center is a bit ahead of the game as initial space renderings have already been done.
He stated that they have also been looking at additional opportunities that could be made available
with increased space. He stated that there has been confirmation that the City would like the Art Center
to be a component of the facility.
Mr. Sutton stated that they got a sense from Ms. Kattreh and the Council that they should be
pragmatic, as the Council does not intend to cut the subsidy currently provided but there is also not an
intention to increase that subsidy, and therefore partnership opportunities are also being researched.
He stated that while those opportunities would not be moneymakers, they would present opportunities
to provide additional services to the residents of Edina without adding costs.
Commissioner O’Dea stated that another option would be to review what the School District is currently
offering for programming through community education in order to prevent an overlap.
Ms. Kattreh stated that Commissioner Gunness and another representative from the School District are
members of the Task Force, which assists in determining partnership opportunities.
Mr. Sutton stated that they are trying to avoid more overhead for the City throughout this process. He
stated that while a fixed seat theater will not be included in this project, there has been a commitment
to working with the School District to provide access to the already great performing art spaces.
Commissioner La Valleur asked the Task Force to take into account comfortability when considering
mobile seating. She asked that the Senior Center perhaps have a more attractive name. She
questioned if housing would be provided on upper levels of the facility. She stated that Edina is a
wealthy community and asked if there has been any thought to seek a family to make a naming
donation.
Mr. Sutton stated that there will not be a theater but stated that they will explore the possibility of using
the large multi-purpose room on the scale for that type of use. He stated that housing would be
separate from the public part of the site in order to match both public and private funding of the
building.
Commissioner Gunness stated that she believed that there is a way to make this financially feasible to
be used for the public. She stated that when multiple organizations are brought in to assist in
programming and funding that could take away from the revenue that could be gained for the
community.
Mr. Sutton stated that the fee-based programming does not generate enough fees to cover the cost of
the programming as 35 percent of the Art Center programming is funded through a subsidy by the City.
Commissioner Miller stated that it seems that a goal of this facility is to expand programming and draw
in more people without creating additional overhead and asked how that could be done.
Mr. Sutton stated that it has been made clear that City subsidies will not fund the entirety of the
programming for this facility. He stated that there is very little capacity to add to the programming at
the current Art Center and therefore increased space could lead to increased revenue.
Commissioner O’Dea noted that some of the overlapping services from the Art Center and Senior
Center could be shared, such as front desk activities.
Commissioner Suckow stated that the message of the Commission is to make the City a vibrant City
with art and noted that the facility will not encompass the entirety of that mission.
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Chair Meifert stated that the facility will provide more creative opportunities and offering than what is
currently offered at the Art Center. He noted that partnering with outside groups, such as the Guthrie,
brings additional creditability to the programming.
Mr. Sutton noted that there is a lot of talent living inside of Edina that would perhaps like to partner in
this opportunity in order to bring increased services to Edina residents.
Mr. Pechaty stated that during this first phase of the process the idea is to develop a range of
programming for the Council to evaluate and assess the relative merits of programming, programming
expansion and its effect on subsidies.
Ms. Kattreh agreed and noted that the intent is not to limit the ideas that are brought forward and
asked the Commission to think big, or grand, and the consulting team will think about how that could
all work together. She referenced the City Council approval of the City budget that has occurred the
past few months, noting the decreased liquor revenues, which have been a great funding source,
specifically for the parks and Art Center subsidies. She stated that although the revenue from liquors
has decreased, revenue is still being made on the endeavor. She explained that options are being
provided to help make decisions, which would not rely on subsidies.
Commissioner Ellis referenced possible sharing and opportunities between community education and
Art Center programming and asked if the Task Force has a feeling on the opinion of the School District
in regard to this matter. She asked the potential of having use of the performing arts spaces at the
local high schools.
Commissioner Gunness stated that it has been a long conversation and believed that this is a good
moment to re-evaluate and push harder to make those spaces more accessible.
Ms. Kattreh stated that they are excited with the timing of the discussion with the School District in
regard to their referendum and facility improvements.
Commissioner Ellis stated that part of the facility also affected the bus garages and asked if there is any
discussion in the planning process of what the broad area would look like in the future.
Ms. Kattreh stated that ultimately, the site is owned by the School District and they can do whatever
they want with it. She stated that there has been discussion for years regarding possible land swaps
that could occur, and believed that the School District is actively pursuing a site for their bus garage
and did not believe there were additional discussions regarding the City possibly owning that parcel.
Mr. Sutton stated through the focus that Ms. Kattreh has been able to focus and maintain for the Art
Center on this site, the Art Center has prime focus for the facility, which is a new facility in a more
centralized location and would be beneficial for the Art Center. He stated that the current Art Center is
10,500 square feet and is not in a prime centralized location. He stated that at the new facility the
square footage could increase by twice the size in order to provide the items and programming that are
currently lacking at the Art Center. He stated that there is a potential to raise additional money outside
of the City to build the facility and provide increased programming.
Commissioner O’Dea stated that she likes the idea of combining the Art Center and Senior Center to
create intermingling gathering spaces. She stated that she would like to see some type of performance
element, noting that perhaps the multi-purpose room could support that. She noted that she would
also like to see a space that could integrate inside and outside for music opportunities. She wanted the
spaces to be flexible enough to provide a variety of options in both the small and large spaces.
Commissioner Li stated that in regard to visual arts he would be concerned with closing the current Art
Center, as he would want to ensure that there is sufficient space for display and archives.
Mr. Sutton stated that the current programing and offerings would transfer to the new facility with
additional space and opportunity for growth.
Ms. Shaylie stated that the education aspects have been focused on, as that is what has been successful
at the Art Center.
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Commissioner Li stated that there is not a theater company operating within in Edina at this time and
would like to see opportunities, noting that he would be fine with use of the high school spaces if that
is an option in the future.
Mr. Sutton provided an example of another city that was not able to include performing arts space and
noted that a similar partnership was developed in order to allow that element to grow and have a home
for performance.
Commissioner Li referenced the Bloomington and Minnetonka models, which could be used as
reference.
Chair Meifert stated that available rehearsal space, such as the multi-purpose room, is what is being
mentioned with the ability to use the high school space for performance.
Commissioner Gunness stated that she hopes that this process will build on the strengths of Edina and
will be unique to Edina rather than replicating what other cities are doing; focusing on the homegrown
strengths to provide something that can only happen in Edina. She stated that she would prefer in
community programming that everyone feels that they can be a part of.
Commissioner Miller stated that she would advocate for a space for performing arts in addition to
theater such as poetry, small music groups, writing, or dance performance. She stated that residents
currently drive into other cities and would prefer to have those performances available with Edina. She
urged the Task Force to be creative in looking outside of the City funding for this building.
Commissioner Gunness stated that she also feels that performance space would be beneficial, such as
one-time performances.
Olivia Chen stated that she is not as informed on the topic but does play the violin and would be
interested in rehearsal space for the orchestra. She believed the rehearsal space would be a good use
of the space as multiple groups could use the space and believed that there would be a demand for it.
Chair Meifert stated that he would like to remain focused on providing a venue that will advertise Edina
as a cultural center of the Twin Cities. He noted that many artists live in Edina but go outside of Edina
to perform and display their work. He stated that the main item people think of when they think of
Edina is hockey and he would like to expand that.
Commissioner Suckow stated that everyone acknowledged the end of life for the existing Art Center
and is supportive of the Art Center programming. He stated that the goal of the Commission is much
broader than the Council has outlined for this facility, which is fine and noted that the Commission will
continue to explore those options, as the facility cannot do everything desired. He stated that he is very
supportive of this activity and believed that it is important for this to be done but noted that the
Commission will also continue to work outside the framework of this space to foster arts in the
community.
Commissioner O’Dea stated that if the focus remains only on classes that falls short of the community
desired space such as space for small performing arts like music or poetry.
Mr. Pechaty stated that the only items that have been decided thus far are that the Council does not
want a swimming pool or a fixed seat theater. He stated that there has been endorsement of
community gathering spaces and spaces that could be used for performances.
Commissioner Suckow stated that the Commission is very supportive of an upgrade for the Art Center
and acknowledged that the Commission is more than the Art Center Board and has a broader focus.
Mr. Sutton explained that there are limitations on funding and noted the additional costs that would be
associated with a fixed seat theater. He noted that if additional funding were to come in for the
purpose of a fixed seat theater that could leverage the discussion and bring additional options, such as
occurred in Bloomington. He noted that the difference there is that there was already a grown theater
company in that community which handles a lot of the questions and responsibilities.
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Commissioner La Valleur stated that she is a visual person and she would like the building to be
stunning with interesting and fun bike racks and benches outside to make the building unique. She
stated that she would like a small café that could be privately run, and could appeal to all generations.
Commissioner Ellis echoed the comments made thus far. She stated that she would like to see growth
of the collaborative process between the City and the School District, as there are lovely facilities
already in existence in the community. She noted that she wasn’t able to advertise for the Music in
Edina event in the community center because only the high school is able to post there. She stated that
she would like to see more collaborative efforts that could be gained possibly using membership
opportunities. She stated that her priority above all else is the Art Center and she would like that to be
a “wow” item.
Commissioner Miller confirmed the consensus of the Commission on that statement. She stated that it
would be helpful for the Commission to have an idea of the private element of the facility.
Mr. Sutton explained that the private portion would be located on the south end of the site while the
public space would remain on the other portion of the site, and would be separate buildings.
VIII. Correspondence And Petitions
IX. General Manager’s Report
X. Music in Edina Report
XI. Public Art Edina Report
XII. Ways and Means Report
XIII. Chair And Member Comments
No comments.
XIV. Staff Comments
No comments.
XV. Adjournment
Motion by Chair Meifert and seconded by Commissioner La Valleur that the Art and Culture
Commission adjourn the meeting at 6:05 p.m.
Ayes: Kandace Ellis, Cheryl Gunness, Dana Lappin, Barbara La Valleur, Daniel Li, Ray Meifert, Anne Miller,
Kitty O’Dea, and Steve Suckow. Motion carried.