Dear Friends of the Aurora Cultural Centre,
On behalf of the Centre's Board of Directors and staff, we would like to bring your attention to a motion that will be tabled by Town of Aurora Councillors Paul Pirri and John Abel, this Tuesday, February 28, to unnecessarily invoke the termination clause in the Town's five-year signed contract with the Aurora Cultural Centre. The contract is scheduled to be renewed in January of 2014.
For our many visitors, volunteers, suppliers and colleagues who wish to show their support of the Aurora Cultural Centre, you can contact Mayor Geoff Dawe and his fellow Councillors by emailing allcouncillors@aurora.ca and the Town Clerk at jleach@aurora.ca, or by calling 905-727-1375. We also invite you to join us at the Council Meeting this Tuesday, February 28, 7:00pm, at Town Hall, 100 John West Way.
The Centre has been operating out of the Church Street School for the last three years, and since its official opening in 2010, the Aurora Cultural Centre has grown by leaps and bounds with an attendance of more than 20,100 people in 2011. Thanks to you and the many residents of Aurora and York Region, visits to the Centre have already increased this past January from the same time period last year.
The Aurora Cultural Centre Board of Directors was completely taken by surprise with this unwarranted action by Councillors Pirri and Abel, who have spoken on the record as fully supporting the thriving Centre. We can assure you, the Board is committed to negotiating in good faith on all issues brought to the table and understands that final funding approval must be reserved for Council. As a termination of the current contract is not required to begin negotiations with the Town of Aurora, we have asked for the opportunity to resolve issues with the existing contract in collaboration with the Town.
A Town ordered independent Contract Compliance Audit Report presented in late 2011 by Brooke Laker, concluded that the Aurora Cultural Centre is "in compliance with all of the CSA (Cultural Services Agreement) sections which speak to ensuring accountability and transparency of the Centre's actions. Since the Centre is compliant with all of these sections we therefore conclude it is acting in an accountable and transparent manner."
We believe the Audit Report clearly concludes the Aurora Cultural Centre staff and Board of Directors are fulfilling our mandate of providing arts, culture and heritage programming year-round, as governed by the Town's five-year signed contract. In addition, Centre Board and staff have made it a priority to provide the Town's Chief Administrative Officer with comprehensive financial and programming status reports, including Key Performance Indicators, on a quarterly basis.
It is widely recognized that the existence of a facility such as the Aurora Cultural Centre brings an increased quality of life and economic stimulus to any community. A termination of the agreement could do irreparable harm to the Centre and would impede our ability to sign programming and supplier contracts, book events and workshops, and to attract long-term sponsors and funding partners.
We are committed to continuing a dialogue with the Town, and welcome the support of our community to ensure the Centre is in a position to deliver on its mandate for years to come.
We thank-you for your continued support, and hope you will join Board members, staff, volunteers and fellow supporters at Council this Tuesday.
Yours sincerely,
Robert Layton, President, Aurora Cultural Centre
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2 comments:
The Culture Centre president is full of crap.
Based on the Town Solicitor's recent report and recommendations Councillors Abel and Pirri are effectively proposing that two members of Council be added to the Centre's Board and that the funds being paid into its maw be accounted for.
It is my firm belief that the Historical Society, which is obviously a major component of our town's culture, should work out with the CC an arrangement whereby items of historical interest and importance can be displayed in glass fronted cabinets, like in a museum, without impinging of the CC's general activities. These displays can be changed from time to time to better afford residents of Aurora the opportunity of seeing their history.
The piano might have to be moved a few feet from its corner walls to permit such display cases.
Councillor Ballard and all the other raging CC idiots are doing nothing constructive for themselves, the Culture Centre or the town.
It's time for these mental midgets to either grow up, resign, or move to another community.
How disingenuous to pretend that came as an enormous surprise. Warren Mar's excellent report is available to anyone who cares to invest some time. It is not difficult to read, not complicated at all. Members of that Board should have been able to handle it, Basically it points out that Aurora has been ripped off by friends of the former Mayor for tens of thousands of dollars. Money that could have gone to the Youth Centre, the Museum, Parks, the Budget etc etc.
Simple enough for you ?
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