One tool you WILL NOT see in the Pavilion’s accounting office
The Pavilion lost $216,000 in 2008. Wood gave preliminary figures to the city council Monday and told members the economy drastically affected the Pavilion’s operating budget.
“Starting in September we noticed, as I think we all did in our own budgets, we witnessed a pretty dramatic downturn in activity in business contributions, individual contributions and in patronage,” Wood said.
I would think with a new director and all, you wouldn’t use the same excuse every year (the only thing the Pavilion has been consistent on. And Councilor Jamison thinks we are ‘leaking money’ because we don’t have a new Event Center?! Wait until we build it! We will see lots of leaking.
As a director of another non-profit said to me anonymously a few years ago, “The Pavilion obviously has a budgeting and personnel expenditure issue.”
Yah Think?!
You’ve said it before… butt humor us.
What could they possibly do to make a profit? Charge promoters more for the use of their facilities? Charge more for events? Seal off the top two floors and stop heating them in the winter? Just curious.
One thing would be to open the science center at night, so working families could use it. Have more movies and laser shows. The Great Hall does make money, and the VAC basically breaks even. It is the Science Center and huge department head salaries that drain the Pavilion’s bottom line.
The science center does only seem to be open when it’s convenient for employees to work there.
Any word on what the new daycare costs per week?
It is a matter of salaries. I’d like a detailed accounting of every employee of the place along with their respective salaries. I’d bet with a little tweaking and some realigning of duties you could have that place in the black within a year.
They should consider outsourcing the management of the entire place. I guarantee you a private management company would find a way to trim the fat, and they would market the place better so there was something going on every week.
Cost-
It is a private management company running it (like SMG). That’s not the problem, the problem is we need a new company running it. I know a few years back when SMG won the contract to run the Orpheum, they also asked the city to run the Great Hall and let the WP run the science and art center. The city didn’t want to split it up.
But you are right, salaries are way to high, especially when the raises are obviously not based on performance. Just look at the financial reports each year. They all say the same thing; (this is a generalization)
– Salaries continue to rise
– Great Hall continues to make money
– VAC continues to break even
– Science Center continues to lose money
You would think that after 5 years, someone would figure out the trend and fix it.
Maybe they could quit letting volunteers attend events free or at drastic discounts. I realize it is hard to get volunteers, but let them scramble for them, just like other non profits do. A lot of the non profits almost have to get down on their knees and beg for volunteers. I think there has to be some drastic changes made in their operations. I’m wondering if the city council things those fancy new windows will improve operating costs.
Don’t get me wrong, I think having a FREE Visual Arts Center is a great asset to the city BUT it seems they keep doing the same thing over and over and hoping for different results. They need to listen to constructive criticism and take professional advice when given.