The preferred new Barrie performing arts centre carries capital costs of almost $118.5 million, and $3.3 million annually to operate, says a report city councillors will consider at next Wednesday evening’s meeting.
Prepared by Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA), with Novita Interpares and Fisher Dachs Associates, and at a $228,500 cost, the report could be received for information purposes.
Coun. Gary Harvey, chairman of the city’s finance and responsible governance committee, said he can support this concept given the amount of work and consultation which has gone into this report.
But the dollars are daunting.
“With the significant cost and operational estimates, that makes the execution of the recommendations difficult in the near future without having a financial impact to our residents' property taxes,” he told BarrieToday. “To get this project off the ground, a significant fundraising effort will have to take place along with significant grant funding coming from higher levels of government.”
The HPA report considers three PAC models and recommends the community cultural hub, because it offers a more sustainable, inclusive and community-focused approach that aligns with Barrie's cultural and civic aspirations, providing a versatile space that can evolve with the city's needs.
It's designed to achieve success through diverse and extensive use, according to HPA, with principal components including a large, central meeting and mingling space known as the 'Commons,' doubling as a living room during the day and a performance or event space as needed.
There would be multiple public performance spaces, consisting of a 600-seat main public performance room, a secondary 220-seat acoustic hall, and a 140-seat film-screening room, catering to a variety of performances and audience sizes.
There would also be space for preparation, training and participation, supporting the development of local artistic skills and crafts. Administration and tenant offices to manage the facility and support its users would also be included.
It is designed to be a hub for entertainment, meaningful participation, learning and skills development, according to HPA. It aims to serve all interests, ages, abilities and sectors of the community, ensuring that the facility is active throughout the day and evening.
The hub facility would offer daily public access, distinguishing it from other models, where public access is restricted to performance times only. It is flexible enough to support a wide range of arts and attract a larger sector of the population, moving away from the exclusivity of traditional theatres and striving for warmth, openness and excitement, according to HPA.
The community cultural hub's core business revolves around managing a public facility dedicated to cultural development and broad participation, with a business model that relies on a mix of rental income and user fees.
It would require 16 full-time employees and 15 part-timers.
HPA also looked at two other PAC facility models.
First is an industry average model, a facility based on the analysis of 12 municipal theatres in communities similar to Barrie. Its defining feature is a single, 650-seat public performance room.
This model is workable and has demonstrated success in communities like Burlington, Richmond Hill and Kingston, according to HPA, but it is limited in its ability to achieve larger civic and cultural development goals.
Also considered was the expanded model, a proposal that significantly increases the capacity of the Barrie performing arts centre beyond the scope of the industry average model.
It is based on the program proposed by the performing arts centre task force of the previous (2018-22) city council and includes an 800- to 900-seat main public performance room, designed to accommodate a larger audience and a wider variety of touring productions. A secondary 350-seat performance room, offering additional space for smaller productions and events and a 5,000-square-foot flat floor room, providing a versatile space for various types of events and activities, is also included.
It’s unclear where the new performing arts centre would go, if approved by council.
One possibility is the former Fisher Auditorium site, on Dunlop Street West, city property on the former Barrie Central Collegiate site, now a proposed but unbuilt large residential development.
Marshall Green’s recent report, the Southshore, Barrie Sports and a Revitalized Downtown, recommends the current Sea Cadets/Navy League site, located near the Spirit Catcher, be the site of Barrie’s new performing arts centre — if the young sailors get a new facility, the planned addition to the General John Hayter Southshore Community Centre.
The performing arts centre design in mind carries a $65-million price tag and has theatres with 250 and 600 seats. There could also be flex seating — which can be folded back to make the spaces available for receptions, conventions, larger and very small performances — although this feature could add another $10 million to the project’s cost.
City staff say the magnitude of the performing arts centre project’s cost would place a significant burden on the city funding it alone. Provincial and federal funding support is not guaranteed, so a comprehensive funding plan is needed. It would have to be multi-faceted, according to city staff, leveraging support from a broad range of stakeholders, including a fundraising campaign.
The city has included a forecast of $167.5 million for the Barrie performing arts centre as part of its 2029-2033 capital plan.
The theatre reserve only has a balance of $7.6 million.
“We just have too many financial pressures in the city with growth to be able to have a capital project of this size on our own,” Harvey said. “This theatre will also service our surrounding residents from other municipalities, so I would hope that the County (of Simcoe) would also come to the table.”
Options available to council, if it decides to move forward with this project, include redirecting funding from another project or approve debt for the amount above the current budget, according to staff.
But at this point councillors are only looking at receiving HPA’s 257-page report for information purposes.
