|
CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
June 1, 2004 | |
Author: |
Karen Hasselfelt | |
Phone No.: |
604-871-6045 | |
RTS No.: |
04140 | |
CC File No.: |
2201 | |
Meeting Date: |
June 24, 2004 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets |
FROM: |
Directors, Office of Cultural Affairs and Finance |
SUBJECT: |
H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Society - Annual Review & 2004 Operating Grant Request |
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council approve an operating grant of $474,900 to the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Society; source of funds to be the 2004 `Other' Grants budget.
GENERAL MANAGERS' COMMENTS
The General Managers of Community and Corporate Services RECOMMEND approval of the above recommendation.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council has approved annual operating grants to the Major Exhibiting Institutions to support their ongoing operations since their formation as independent non-profit societies in 1971.
Approval of grants requires eight affirmative votes of Council.
PURPOSE
This report provides a review of the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Society's 2003 activities and presents its 2004 operating grant request for Council's consideration.
BACKGROUND
In 1967, as part of the Centennial celebrations, the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium and the Vancouver Museum (formerly at the Carnegie Centre) were located in a prominent new building in Vanier Park. The Museum and Planetarium, as well as the Vancouver Maritime Museum, were operated as a department of the City until 1971, when they became one independent non-profit society, the Vancouver Museums and Planetarium Association (VMPA). The VMPA received operating support from the City in two forms: an operating grant for programs, staffing and collection activities, and the direct provision of the facility at nominal rent, maintenance, janitorial services and building costs. In 1987, the VMPA dissolved and three new non-profit societies were created including the B.C. Space Centre Society. In 2000, the Society changed its name to the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Society.
The Space Centre continues to occupy the City-owned building in Vanier Park that it shares with the Vancouver Museum. In addition to an annual operating grant, the City currently provides occupancy of the facility at a nominal rent, property tax exemption, utilities, janitorial services, and grounds and building maintenance through the City's Facilities Design & Management department. The organization's sources of revenue, including City support is illustrated in Table 1.
The Space Centre is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and has 20 full time staff and 24 part-time staff. Fifty volunteers contribute approximately 3,000 hours to the Space Centre's programming and activities. The Space Centre offers interactive exhibits, public programs, demonstrations and events in five different areas of the facility: the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium; Gordon MacMillan Southam Observatory; GroundStation Canada a multimedia "mission control" theatre; the Cosmic Courtyard featuring interactive exhibits on a range of space-related topics; and Virtual Voyages a motion simulator ride.
2003 Year in Review
2003 was a time of significant change for the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre with the retirement of the Managing Director after twelve years. A transition process was implemented and a new director was hired in December. During this transition, the organization maintained its course and followed through on planned initiatives and programs.
The Space Centre produced a new planetarium show to celebrate the centenary of flight with Flying into the Future: 100 Years of Flight and Beyond, and introduced two new shows to GroundStation Canada: Space: A Dangerous Place, and Dizzying Heights: Your Body in Orbit.
The Space Centre received financial support from several federal agencies and corporate sponsors for special projects and programming initiatives. In March, the Space Centre also secured a capital grant of $456,850 from Western Economic Diversification to upgrade aging computers and audio-visual equipment that enhanced customer service and the visitor experience. Equipment was also purchased for distance learning and outreach programs.
Education and outreach programming included the launch of initiatives such as Canada in Space. This Virtual Museum of Canada project provides young people with interactive virtual space experiences based on Canadian space science and exploration. The education department won a national award for Sharing Space, a high school mentorship program, and Our Place in Space was offered for the first time to French immersion students. The Space Centre also provided 20,000 people free viewing sessions of Mars as the red planet made its closest approach to Earth in 60,000 years. Other outreach activities included Project NorthStar Online and Community Astronomy Summer Tour which offered night time programming for visitors at campsites throughout the Province.
2004 Plans
Under new leadership, the organization has begun reviewing its Strategic Plan. Integral to this process will be an evaluation of current programs, exhibits and existing technology to identify new program directions that will sustain the institution over the long term. The star projector in the planetarium theatre is more than 35 years old and some exhibits are in need of change or refurbishment. Audience research will complement the program review and this research will include focus groups and facilitated workshops with staff, volunteers and key stakeholders. The results of this work will be incorporated into a business plan and inform future planning.
Programs that are planned and/or piloted this year include:
· Expanded use of the Gordon Southam Observatory beginning with pilot programs this summer
· Development and presentation of a new collaborative planetarium show with other Canadian planetaria
· Pilot program of video conferencing a GroundStation Canada program to remote areas as part of a distance education initiative
· Planning community outreach components for the International Astronautical Congress to be held in Vancouver in October
The Space Centre has been working with the Vancouver Museum to examine potential partnerships in a number of areas, including crossover programming initiatives. Currently, the Space Centre is in the preliminary stages of research for a First Nations' planetarium show which may be presented in conjunction with an exhibition organized by the Vancouver Museum. Another joint program being considered is a travelling exhibition and planetarium show on the cosmology of Imperial China.
Diversifying revenue sources is still an important focus for the organization, and in addition to coordinated special events and rental opportunities with the Vancouver Museum, the Society is reviewing the feasibility of a satellite space shop cart and developing computer space games with local producers.
DISCUSSION
The Space Centre has managed the organizational transition well and most areas maintained performance or increased slightly over the previous year. Total paid attendance was up by 5% over last year to 116,483, and just slightly below 2001 as indicated in Table 2. School attendance increased by 8% to 34,985 students and laser show attendance, which has been declining for many years, experienced somewhat of a resurgence. Increased attendance translated to increased admissions revenues over last year, but these increases have not matched the levels achieved in 1998 after the capital renovations, and paid attendance has been generally declining since then. Therefore, the research and planning work that the Space Centre will undertake this year with its audiences and stakeholders is critical to the long-term growth and development of the organization.
The Space Centre generates a significant portion (50%) of its annual operating budget through earned revenues and the City's grant is the only operating grant available to the Space Centre. The remaining operating funds are raised through project grants, contracts, donations and fund raising. The Space Centre concluded the year with an excess of revenues over expenditures of $4,073 before amortization on a total operating budget of $3.5 million. The audited financial statements for 2003 are attached to this report as Appendix "A".
The organization has projected financial targets in 2004 that are similar to what was achieved in 2003, with a projected year end surplus of $29,907 on a budget of $3.5 million. Admission revenues are proposed to increase by 7.4%, with the largest increase being in general public admissions. This will be a challenging target given that the Space Centre public admission revenues dropped by 10%, even though overall admission revenues increased by 3.8 % this past year. The Society plans to meet this goal through expanding its public program offerings, particularly with new observatory pilot programs over the summer months. While additional programming can be a temporary solution to the decline in core attendance, continued program expansion is difficult to maintain. Staff support the Space Centre's efforts to develop sustainable strategies through its program review and audience research initiative.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Staff are recommending a 2004 operating grant of $474,900 based on a general inflationary increase of 2.0% over the 2003 grant as approved by Council in the 2004 Operating Budget. Source of funds is the "Other" Grants allocation in the 2004 Budget.
CONCLUSION
Preliminary indications are that the organizational transition is being managed effectively, as the Space Centre operated within a balanced budget and delivered programs as planned in 2003. The transition and review of the organization's Strategic Plan will give the Space Centre opportunities to develop programming and services that will sustain the institution over the long term. Staff are recommending operating support for the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Society in the amount of $474,900.
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