Oshkosh Common Councilors just received this email from Jon Doemel of Glass Nickel Pizza:
Hello,
I am writing in response to your call to show interest in the Grand Opera House. I am rallying around other businesses to "Raise a grand for the Grand." We hope to not only tell you that we highly value the Grand's presence, but are willing to walk the walk as well. So far, I have about 100 businesses on board to raise money for the roof. I agree that there are more pressing matters for the funds to be allocated, but there are too many memories with the Grand to let it go to waste. Let us respond to your challenge by raising our own funds through a truly grass roots campaign. Maybe we can raise enough to change your mind about the importance of this historic and useful building. Thank you for lighting my fire! -
Jon Doemel Glass Nickel Pizza Company "No Gimmicks...Just the Goods"
I have emailed Jon privately to tell him that I appreciate his efforts. For me the issue on the Grand renovation is whether "public-private partnership" is simply idle chatter rambled on about during political campaigns and cocktail parties, or is it a driving force behind downtown redevelopment. The LDR downtown revitalization report of a few years ago, along with the more recent visioning report produced by Nellessen and Associates clearly take the latter view.
Yes, I understand that the private sector does contribute to the Grand's programming mission. But clearly we are going to have to see an expanded private role for the building to be sustainable well into the future.
We received an email from a couple that had recently come from Iowa City, where the Englert Theater is a venue very similar to our Grand Opera House. From the website, it appears that Iowa City purchased the building in 1999, then held it in trust until such time that a private group could raise enough funds for renovation:
For the next 5 years, this group of citizens mobilized to purchase the theater from the City of Iowa City and rebuild the Englert as a community cultural center. They began the “Save the Englert” campaign to raise the funds necessary to renovate the theater to its former grandeur.
Literally hundreds of local businesses and individuals contributed countless hours and millions of dollars to bring the theater back to life. Their contributions are forever recognized on the large Capital Campaign plaque in our lobby, on the nameplates on our seats, and on numerous signs around the building.
A member of the Iowa City Common Council today told me that about $75,000 in local taxpayer money was directed toward the facility during the renovation campaign, and that local taxpayers will contribute about $50,000 to the facility over the next 3 years or so. Iowa City's population is roughly the same as Oshkosh.
I'm not saying that the Iowa City/Englert Theater model is necessarily the best one for Oshkosh. But what I am saying is that it is neither fair nor realistic to think that big-ticket renovations of historic buildings can be financed strictly by taxpayers. Indeed, a majority on the city council last year were willing to raze the historic water tower rather than even allow time to see if a private capital campaign could get started. With the Grand, I sense that there is at least a willingness to see what the private sector will commit to the project.
To be clear: I am a fan of the Grand and want to see it survive and thrive well into the future. But that cannot happen unless and until we clarify what is the appropriate balance of public/private expenditures at a time when we are seeing drastic cuts in state aids, more demands for essential city services, school closures, and scores of additional unmet needs.
My hope is that there are many others out there like Mr. Doemel willing to walk the walk.
P.S. Anyone willing to walk the walk with Jon can email him at gnpcoshkosh@hotmail.com
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The community/private sector over the last 6 years has contributed well over the 1.3 million that is now an issue, while the city has contributed it's annual $60,000 maintenance budget, except for the recent bubble for the sprinklers. It's ridiculous for the city now to say "You've been funding over 80% of the operation of this facility for years and now you're seriously remiss by not funding 50% of the renovation."
IF we are to call this a partnership, then where has the city been for the operation of the facility?
When it all boils down to it, the Foundation and, by extension, the private sector, has taken on the task and the funding of making the most of the facility, and have even gone above and beyond with their own funding of intended improvements of the facility that they do not own. The city's job, and the city's responsibility in the issue is to maintain the facility *which it owns*.
The private sector has held up their end of the bargain in an exemplary manner. It is now time for the city to do the same.
Please note: I say this as a taxpayer of the city. I do not represent nor belong to one of the community service organizations in question here. I say this as, honestly, someone who rarely personally attends events at the Grand. But, I also say this as someone who realizes that the preservation of this facility is of significant cultural significance to the city, and, by extension, significant economic significance.
We have many local industries and medium sized companies whose executives decide to live in surrounding cities because there is just more to offer there. Each time something like this comes up and the city refuses to step to the plate, Oshkosh's draw for these families continues to slowly erode.
In closing, the private sector has done their part here, year in and year out. It's really time for the city to step to the plate and take responsibility for our obligation, without any strong-arm threats that this facility will fall by the wayside if the private sector (which, year to year, contributes 80-90% of the funding for your "partnership") doesn't fund the city's contractual obligations in addition to their own.
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