ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets

FROM:

The Director of Current Planning in consultation with the Office of Cultural Affairs

SUBJECT:

Funding for Purchasing Equipment for Community Events in the Downtown Eastside

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

On July 28, 1998, Council confirmed principles to provide general guidance to actions and planning in the Downtown Eastside, Chinatown, Gastown and Strathcona, which include encouraging legitimate commercial activity, improving conditions at the street level, improving existing SROs, reducing crime, and helping community people to find allies and seek a common future.
On September 21, 1999, Council approved a funding allocation of $2.5 million toward Downtown Eastside initiatives in the 2000-2002 Capital Plan with specific reference made to the provision of improvements to the public realm.

Approval of the grant recommendation requires eight affirmative votes.

PURPOSE
This report seeks Council's approval for the allocation of $60,000 from the Downtown Eastside Revitalization Capital Funds for the purchase of equipment to be used in community performances and celebrations in the Downtown Eastside, including Chinatown, Gastown, Strathcona and Victory Square.

BACKGROUND
Over the last few years, significant events have taken place in streets, parks and squares throughout the Downtown Eastside. On these occasions, thousands of people have come together to celebrate the area's strong sense of community and vitality despite its many challenges. Such events include performances and celebrations in Blood Alley, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Courtyard, Oppenheimer Park and Victory Square Park. In November 2001, for example, an open-air performance of Handel's Messiah by the Vancouver Bach Choir attracted 400 people from a diversity of backgrounds to Blood Alley. More than 2000 people attended a children's festival and fashion show in the same location. Other public activities in the area include celebrations of Chinese New Year, the winter holidays, and Canada Day. Also of importance is the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in Victory Square, the Powell Street Festival, and the Steamworks Tour de Gastown.

Throughout 2003, there will be a number of significant events associated with the 100th Anniversary of the Carnegie Centre. Additionally, there has been interest expressed by the Gastown BIS and the Chinatown Revitalization Committee in hosting outdoor street-style skateboard competitions using portable ramps.

Many of these events are initiated by community groups such as the Portland Hotel Society, the Friends of Victory Square, the Carnegie Centre, the Chinatown Revitalization Committee, the Gastown BIS and the Remembrance Day Observance Committee. The equipment necessary to host performances and celebrations often comes at a significant, and sometimes prohibitive, expense. For example, the performance of Handel's Messiah produced by the Portland Hotel Society in 2001 cost $11,200, with $6,500 of that paid towards equipment rentals and transportation. Despite the success of this performance, it was not repeated in 2002 because of these high costs.

DISCUSSION
The events held to date have proven highly successful in fostering linkages between neighbourhoods, drawing people from throughout the city back into the Downtown Eastside, facilitating participation in the arts for local residents, and developing a sense of pride within the community. The cost of renting equipment, however, effectively minimizes the ability of non-profit organizations and business associations to host them. With the purchase of the appropriate equipment, the community's ability to hold such activities will increase dramatically. Additionally, given the cost of renting the equipment, it makes economic sense, as the equipment would pay for itself after a limited number of events.

It is proposed that the grant be given to the Portland Hotel Society to purchase and manage the equipment. The management program could be based in the Interurban Gallery, a non-profit gallery at 9 East Hastings containing exhibition space, artist studios, commercial offices and shops. It was created by a variety of community groups and funded by the three levels of government. The Portland Hotel Society and their event affiliate Fundefined have hosted a number of performances and celebrations, most notably in Blood Alley, and are familiar with this type of equipment. The Vancouver Children's Festival (Canadian Institute of the Arts for Young Audiences) has agreed to partner with the Portland Hotel Society to develop a management plan for this equipment. Further, the Children's Festival is exploring relationships with equipment suppliers that can help reduce the cost of purchasing and maintaining it. Additionally, they store their equipment for the festival in a warehouse on Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside, and this space may be available to use for storage by the Portland Hotel Society.

When a group hosting an event in the Downtown Eastside, Gastown, Chinatown, Strathcona or Victory Square requires use of the equipment, trained Portland Hotel Society staff will provide delivery, setup and operation services in exchange for a fee designed to cover maintenance and wear on the equipment. If an organization from outside the area was interested in using the equipment, it could be made available at a higher rate so long as it was not needed by an organization in the Downtown Eastside.

Prior to disbursement of the grant, the Portland Hotel Society and the Children's Festival will prepare an equipment management program and submit it to the City for review. The program will ensure that the equipment is made available to all community-based organizations in the Downtown Eastside. The Portland Hotel Society will consult with theseorganizations to determine the exact type of the equipment to be purchased according to community needs. If there are changes to the type of equipment to be purchased, this should be identified and justified in the management program submitted to the City. This will permit some flexibility on the part of the Portland Hotel Society to create an appropriate inventory of equipment to support community performances and celebrations.

In addition to identifying the specific equipment that will be purchased, its use and its cost, the program will identify a strategy for:
· storage,
· maintenance and training,
· delivery and set-up,
· cost-recovery to account for delivery, wear and damage, and
· promotion and community outreach to all organizations and neighbourhoods in the Downtown Eastside area.
The management program will detail a budget of up to $60,000, the amount of the grant, for purchase and management of the equipment. If the proposed budget is less than $60,000, the grant will be reduced accordingly.

Fifty per cent of the grant will be released to the Portland Hotel Society upon approval of the strategy by the General Manager of Community Services in consultation with the Office of Cultural Affairs. The balance will be released on receipt of invoices confirming payment. Additionally, the Portland Hotel Society will be asked to submit to the City an annual report documenting the frequency of use of the equipment, its users and the condition of the equipment. If the management program proves unsatisfactory, the City reserves the right to transfer management of the equipment to a different Downtown Eastside organization.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The total budget to purchase the equipment is $60,000 including GST. The breakdown is approximately as follows:

Item

Cost, incl. GST

Marquee tents and accessories

$37,000

Outdoor heaters with propane tanks and wheels

$7,500

PA System

$7,500

Cook tops with wheels, burners and propane

$3,000

Portable skateboarding ramps

$5,000

Total

$60,000

Council is being asked to approve an allocation of $60,000 from the Downtown Eastside Revitalization Capital Funds so that these purchases can be made. Of the $2.5 million of funds approved in the 2000-2002 Capital Plan, $52,500 is currently unallocated. The remaining funds will be provided from the existing Downtown Eastside capital budget.

CONCLUSION
Improving the public realm is an important step in revitalizating the Downtown Eastside neighbourhoods. A history of inclusive and meaningful open-air events already exists, yet the cost of equipment rentals reduces their number and frequency. The allocation of Downtown Eastside Capital Funds to purchase this equipment, and its management by the Portland Hotel Society, supported by the Vancouver Children's Festival, will lead to more events hosted by local residents and business organizations year-round. These events will entertain and involve local community members, and will welcome residents from other parts of the region back to the Downtown Eastside.

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© 2002 City of Vancouver