Washington Pavilion

BLAME THE ECONOMY! BLAME THE ECONOMY!

l3wis April 24, 2009 2Comments

But according to Dave Munson, Eugene Rowenhorst and the LA Times the recession hasn’t hit Sioux Falls yet, so you can’t blame the economy.

Despite the effort, the Pavilion still might see a $216,000 deficit when numbers are finalized in June, said Gary Wood, the Pavilion’s president and chief executive officer, during a report to the City Council this week.

“If the downturn had occurred in June, it would have given us more time to adapt,” Wood said. “When it started occurring in September and October, we didn’t really have time, so we had to take more drastic action.”

No worries Gary, Vernon Brown has got your back (Quen Be De must have not been available for comment).

“He is not asking the city taxpayers to make up the deficit and is making adjustments within his own budget,” Brown said.

Because it’s not like we hand them over a cool $1.3 million of taxpayer dollars every year or do expensive maintenance to the city owned building (cough, cough, million dollar windows, cough cough) that is not in their budget but hidden in the city’s CIP budget.

For 2008, she (finance director) said the negative $216,000 in the operating fund is relative, based on how you look at the numbers.

 

“When you add up all of our funds, like the permanent collection fund, the endowment fund, special project fund and others, we had an increase in net assets last year of $27,000,” Hathaway said. “Everyone wants to focus on our operating fund instead of the big picture of everything we do.”

Because, unlike actual businesses we count toilet paper rolls as assets and substract that from our deficit (really they do).

While the Husby Performing Arts Center’s Great Hall shows usually make money, the Kirby Science and Discovery Center has run a deficit in past years.

‘In past years’? Try every year. I have often said they should close the Science Center, expand the gift shop, get more movies at the Cinedome and rent the space for special events. It has been bleeding since the place has opened – time to dress the wound.

It almost makes you wonder if they want it to lose money every year? Think about it. If the Pavilion started ‘making money’ they wouldn’t have an excuse to come to the city every year and ask for a subsidy.

The Pavilion, lost money, again, imagine that

l3wis April 21, 2009 7Comments

One tool you WILL NOT see in the Pavilion’s accounting office

It still puzzles me that a place that charges admission (except for Visual arts center) that after ten years, almost $40 million in building fees spent and over $10 million in operating subsidies from the entertainment tax, they can’t AT LEAST breakeven?

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?!

And why did it take almost 10 years to figure this out?

l3wis February 10, 2009 7Comments

During the informational meeting yesterday, Councilor Brown bragged that the (reissue) of First Fridays at the Pavilion was wildly successful, and over 700 people showed up.

Ah, well, Duh.

Anytime you open a entertainment and arts facility during a time when working families can attend it, it’s gonna be successful. What I cannot figure out is why it took so long to figure this out. Just think of the amount of money we have lost and missed revenue opportunities. Talk about ‘leaking money’. When the city requested a review of the Pavilion about 5 years ago, one of the main recommendations was to open the facility at night. So what do they do, wait 5 years.

I’m glad they are ‘finally’ doing it. But what took so damn long?! Geez!