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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes.WHLR.20240911.Regular Wheeler Advisory Board Minutes September 11th, 2024 | 3:00 p.m. In Attendance: Wheeler Opera House Advisory Board Members: Chip Fuller, Chair; Amy Mountjoy, Vice-Chair; Dr. Tom Kurt, Secretary; Ziska Childs; Daniel Benavent*; Richard Stettner* and Amy Northfield Lanich* Wheeler Opera House Staff: Lisa Rigsby Peterson*, Executive Director; Alixandra Feeley*, Business Manager; Karen McConnell, Administrative & Artistic Specialist; Pete Hajdu, Building Supervisor; Michael Baca, Production Manager; Cody Kosinski, Assistant Production Manager and Matt Thompson, Theatre Technician. Additional Attendees: Diane Foster, Assistant City Manager and Mike Bassi of Aspen Constructors. Absent: Nina Gabianelli *Attended via Zoom Recorder: Karen McConnell Chair Chip Fuller called the meeting to order at 3:02 PM Chair Fuller asked for a motion to approve the amended August 14, 2024 meeting minutes Ziska Childs moved, Dr. Tom Kurt seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Chair Fuller asked for public comment. There was none. Michael Baca/Production Manager spoke to the board regarding the current rigging project and presented a draft video documentation prepared by the Wheeler production team to show time lapse progress thus far. A final product will be presented at the very end of the project. Following the video viewing, Mr. Baca continued with highlights and progress of project thus far: Beginning August 18th 3000 pounds of materials were loaded out that night following AMFS’ last Figaro performance; 2,300 pounds of orchestra pit components have been loaded back into the building and reassembled; 500 pounds of soft goods have been removed, folded and stored; 3000 pounds of lighting instruments have been removed and stored between the orchestra seats; 6000 square feet of plastic have been deployed in the theatre to protect opera boxes, seats and various elements; 15,000 pounds of steel have been removed and sent to Pitkin County Landfill for responsible recycling; The existing fire curtain was deployed and worked perfectly, thanks to Cody Kosinski. There is not a requirement to replace it when the rigging project is complete. Mr. Baca commented on the great level of success during the first 3 ½ weeks of the project, recognizing a lot of work remains to be done. Board members and attendees expressed appreciation of the video and work being done. Chair Fuller invited questions to Mr. Baca, production manager. Dr. Kurt and Ms. Childs inquired about the disposition of the fixtures and materials being removed. Mr. Baca shared that everything is being sorted, and recycled as possible, with a commitment to divert as much as possible from the landfill. He also shared that there is not a plan to change anything in the orchestra pit at this time. Dr. Kurt asked if the new system will use more energy, and Mr. Baca explained that it will use less, especially with the LED lighting fixtures. Ms. Rigsby Peterson and Ms. Feeley remarked that the Wheeler is part of the Building IQ program which traces energy usage over time. Several more detailed questions were asked by the board, all of which Mr. Baca answered. Chair Fuller expressed appreciation of his presence and work on the project. Executive Director Lisa Rigsby Peterson provided the following Wheeler updates: She began by complimenting Michael Baca, Cody Kosinski and Matt Thompson of production as well as Pete Hajdu, building supervisor. Soon after her arrival at the Wheeler, the rigging replacement project rose to the top priority for staff and board and it has taken nearly 3 years to begin. Barbizon has been working alongside our team for a year now. It’s great to have Aspen Constructors partner on this project. Both of these companies have worked previously with the Wheeler and love this building as much as we do. It’s absolutely the “A” team. And she added to Ms. Child’s query that the project is on time, on budget, thus far. Ms. Rigsby Peterson will share with Nicole Levesque, marketing director, the Board’s desire to share the rigging project and its progress on social media. Ms. Rigsby Peterson thanked the board for their support of the 3.5 million dollar project, the most significant since the recent masonry project. She has received inquiries from performing organizations about any other upcoming plans for theatre closures, and she assured them this is the last closure expected for several years. She then referred to interview an interview with Gram Slaton in 2013 in which he remarked we’d be good for projects for another 75 years. “So I never say never” she remarked with a smile. Ms. Rigsby Peterson shared that she’s been in communication with Mike Harrington, new Wheeler executive director, sharing background information with him, and he’s excited to start. his position and will move forward with bookings in 2025, including Laugh Festival. Diane Foster has requested that Ms. Rigsby share documentation about processes, policies and procedures so Mike will have everything he needs when he arrives September 23, 2024. Ms. Rigsby Peterson than encouraged an informal board get together with Mike Harrington after his arrival on September 23rd. Updates were provided regarding the vault bar lobby. Consensual Improv Halloween Spooktacular and Aspen History Society’s Aspen Teacher’s College. Recently added (on October 4t ) is an Aspen Public Radio “squirm night” regarding proposed airport expansion. One additional Vault concert will be announced soon: the ability to present shows this fall is limited given the full focus on the rigging project. Vault bar lobby furniture will be replaced towards the end of the year. Additional 2025 performances will go on sale on September 12th as follows: February 11th - Cirque Kalabante March 7th – International Guitar Night March 29 – MANIA: The Abba Tribute with a dance floor and disco ball. Ms Rigsby Peterson proceeded to share ticket sales information which are in the teens currently for vault performances. 175 tickets have been sold thus far for Brian Regan in January. Changemaker series, as shared in August board meeting, is reflecting nice sales with expectation of greater sales. The last ticket sales report shared in May for the 2024-2025 season was broken down by Wheeler Presents and Rental clients. Dr. Kurt inquired again about traditional fall events such as John Denver and Fringe Festival and alternate venues. Ms. Rigsby Peterson shared that as soon as we knew we were moving forward with the rigging project, Maddy Overton, Rentals Coordinator, was immediately in touch with traditional fall rental clients and helped them identify alternate locations. She went on to say that the John Denver weekend traditionally included activity at the Aspen Mountain Chalet which is undergoing renovations, so the organizers have moved activities to the Snowmass Village Mountain Chalet. The Chris Collins concert will take place this year at the District Theatre, and the Wheeler is providing ticketing services for them. Ms. Rigsby Peterson then moved on to financials and noted that Alix Feeley, Business Manager, was in attendance via zoom for specific questions. As a reminder, when the 2024 operating budget was created this time last year we received direction from our Finance Department to create an annual budget based on a full year of programming reflecting revenue and expenses rather than adjust them based on the fall closure. Based on this, and year-to-date numbers, there are no areas for concern. Rental income for our rental spaces (Aspen Collective and Aspen Public House) is higher than normal due to a revenue share back of approximately $35,000 from the restaurant (the first time this has been occurred.) We will be down approximately $350,000 in revenue vs. budget which will be offset by lower expenses in performance fees, lodging, hospitality meals, and wages for temporary/intermittent or seasonal employees during the main stage closure. It is likely that the year will end with a budget surplus as it has for the past few years. Any surplus goes back into the RETT balance. Chair Fuller remarked that the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) appeared to be coming in very close to budget, unlike previous years when the RETT collections were much higher than budgeted. Chair Fuller inquired about the payroll costing error noted on the financials, and Ms. Feeley, Business Manager, responded that she’ll have to check with Roseanne of Finance and continued that there seem to be some small lingering issues with costing. Ms. Rigsby Peterson explained that it is an allocation issue across departments, rather than incorrect total figures. Ms. Mountjoy raised concerns about the expenses of $460,000 for public outreach. Ms. Rigsby Peterson provided a high level of explanation and noted Nicole Levesque, Marketing Manager, had made a presentation to the Board on breakdown of costs and marketing efforts last fall. For marketing it’s not just budgeting, not just ads or collateral. Public outreach expenses are much more than advertising for events: costs also include items such as signage, poster placement, video and other software, hosting fees, brand awareness, etc. Approximately $90,000 of the budget expenses reflects allocation for our Soloshoe contract. Dr. Kurt inquired how much of the marketing budget goes into social networks which are becoming more popular than newspapers. Ms. Rigsby Peterson gave a shoutout to Malia Machado who handles our social media – Instagram and Facebook for example, much of which is free but involves people time. Nicole Levesque did a great job sharing information on digital advertising last fall, and is focusing on it moving forward as a new advertising channel. It was suggested and agreed to have Nicole Levesque return for a marketing presentation before the board. Ms. Rigsby Peterson asked if the board was interested in having DJ Watkins of the Aspen Collective gallery space come to make a presentation about the first few months of the gallery at the October board meeting, and board members agreed that if it worked with Mike Harrington’s schedule, it would be good to invite DJ to the October meeting. Ms. Mountjoy inquired how the new ticketing system was working. Ms. Rigsby Peterson replied that based on conversations with Nicole Levesque and Hannah Ritter, the internal ticketing process is much more seamless. The number of calls from patrons frustrated with the system has dropped dramatically and Spektrix is able to accomplish things AudienceView couldn’t do. Ms. Rigsby Peterson provided additional updated from Bill Johnson and Aspen Public House and past challenges with lunch service. He will be open for lunch and dinner indefinitely per the terms of his lease and will not return to Council to request lease concessions. Finally from Ms. Rigsby Peterson as she leads her last board meeting, she expressed her appreciation of the board’s thoughtfulness, commitment and passion for the Wheeler and desire to make a difference, which has made the Wheeler a richer place. Chair Fuller thanked Ms. Rigsby Peterson on behalf of the board for everything she’s done and added she’ll be missed, thanked her for her great contributions and invited her to come back as often as she can! Chair Fuller plans to email Mike Harrington to propose a coffee or gathering with the board a week or so after his arrival and Karen McConnell, Administrative & Artistic Specialist, offered assistance. Chair Fuller moved on to board discussion and began by reading a letter from the Board to Council, which Ms. Rigsby Peterson had assisted with, in support of the two new staff position requests in production and marketing. Diane Foster, Assistant City Manager, spoke to the necessity of Council approval of budget authority and explained that there could be some flexibility about the job descriptions and roles based on current Wheeler needs. Once budget authority has been granted by Council in the annual budget process, the decision on additional staffing will be with Mike Harrington; however, without budget authority we can’t move forward. Upon Mr. Harrington’s arrival he will be briefed by both Michael Baca, production manager, and Nicole Levesque, marketing director, to understand the staffing needs. If any adjustments are needed or require, Mike would work with Ms. Foster regarding any such adjustments. Ms. Rigsby Peterson clarified that the Board had expressed support for the production position at the August board meeting, and the additional request of the Board was to express similar support for the marketing position. Daniel Benavent made a motion for the board to approve the letter to Council as written, Ziska Childs seconded and the motion passed unanimously. Chair Fuller will email Ms. Rigsby Peterson the letter requesting the letter be included in the Council budget meeting. Ms. Foster mentioned that Ms. Rigsby Peterson is working through end of September 2024 in a formal basis and will then switch to part time on an “as needed” basis in October. She mentioned that there are a number of performance evaluations occurring during Executive Director transition and thankfully Ms. Rigsby Peterson is assisting with those. Chair Fuller –mentioned that the final 3 meetings of 2024 are listed and invited board members to email him regarding date availability to meet with Mike Harrington prior to next month’s official board meeting. There being no further items, Dr. Kurt moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Childs seconded. The motion passed and the meeting concluded at 4:14 PM Michael Baca, production manager, then invited all in attendance to don hard hats for a tour of the rigging project. Future Meetings Schedule October 9th, 2024 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm November 13th, 2024 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm December 11th, 2024 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm