Please note that we have altered our season slightly. You Ought to Be in Pictures, originally scheduled to be our opening show, will now close our season in July.
The reason for this change is due to the construction of the new washrooms and the new handicapped accessible entrance. The fencing is up and the demolition has begun. We hope to be back on our stage for rehearsals in early December and ready to open with Marion Bridge by Canadian playwright, Daniel MacIvor, next January. It has been a long and tedious summer. The outline below explains our joys and frustrations of building expansion.
June
• The tenders come in ranging from 1.16 million to 1.3 million! We faint! Then we sit down with the architects and Deciantis Construction to discuss the gap and find ways to reduce costs. Sub-contractors are also contacted to revise items to meet our budget. A week later, the new cost is reduced to $1,080,000 – still too much for us!
More meetings are scheduled to further reduce the cost of the project.
July
• We meet with Mayor Barrow to present our business plan and ask for consideration for either a grant or an interest free loan from the town to help with the cost of the construction. He agrees to discuss with council members.
• We meet with the architects and Deciantis Construction and receive a new cost of $898,999 which will not include finishes such as painting, carpentry, carpeting etc. These items will have to be done by club members as the money becomes available over the years.
August
• We receive information about the 2009 Infrastructure Stimulus Fund which is opening up money to non-profit organizations who are ready to begin capital building projects immediately. We pull all the material together for the application and submit it. We will find out whether we have received this grant money or not by the end of September.
• We hold a club meeting to share information and voice our concerns about the project. A motion is passed to continue with the construction. We understand that these improvements are for the benefit of our audience and are long overdue.
September
• Deciantis Construction begins demolition and construction of the new washrooms and side entrance at a cost of $918,280.
• We wait impatiently to hear about our grant application.
• We prepare our presentation to the mayor and council and will try to work out how we can borrow money for improvements to a building that sits on land owned by the town.
• We send out our subscriber tickets because THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
As you can see, it has been a rather difficult summer for the executive members – too many meetings and too many disappointments! However, we are confident that our business plan projected for the next ten years is solid.
Not only do our productions do well financially, but also we have proven to be excellent fund raisers with our participation in the Rotary Auction and weekly charity bingos, selling 50/50 tickets and relying on generous donations from our members and subscribers. And on that note, I would like to thank all of you who sent in a donation along with your subscription renewal. We received over $13,000 from our returning subscribers! And if you meant to do so, but forgot, please do not hesitate to send a tax refundable donation. As you can see, we have a rather large bill to pay in November!
If you have any concerns relative to your subscription please contact our box office at 905 773-3434. The box office has been authorized to offer free exchanges (subject to availability) for “I Ought To Be In Pictures” until December 31, 2009.
It’s going to be an exciting year for The Curtain Club. Five great shows and new bathrooms!
Thank you so much for continuing to support us. We look forward to seeing you in January 2010!
Sincerely,
Joan Burrows
President, The Curtain Club