The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About34. 17-330 JUNE 27, 2017 17-330 RESOLUTION (CARRIED 7-0 LOST LAID OVER WITHDRAWN ) PURPOSE: ACCEPT DONATION OF ENHANCED BALCONY THEATRE SEATING AND APPROVE AGREEMENT WITH THE OSHKOSH OPERA HOUSE FOUNDATION FOR THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE INITIATED BY: PURCHASING WHEREAS the Oshkosh Opera House Foundation wishes to make a donation for the purchase and installation of enhanced balcony theatre seating for the Grand Opera House; and WHEREAS, the gift of the enhanced seating is consistent with the following guidelines as established by the City of Oshkosh Gifts and Donations Policy, in that the donation: ➢ Promotes the preservation of historical and cultural aspects of the community ➢ Is suitable for the proposed purpose ➢ Is compatible and in harmony with the existing improvements to the Grand Opera House ➢ Replaces and/or rehabilitates an aging feature ➢ Is suitable for the proposed use and facility ➢ Will comply with all codes and requirements WHEREAS, the City may take on future maintenance costs associated with this donation where the future maintenance costs are consistent with the City of Oshkosh Gifts and Donation Policy in that there is a community desire for the improvement and the maintenance and repair costs are expected to be minimal; and WHEREAS, §62.15 of the Wisconsin Statutes allows municipalities to accept the donation of materials and/or labor for public construction as an exception to the requirements of the public bidding statute; and JUNE 27, 2017 17-330 RESOLUTION CONT'D WHEREAS, the donation will cover all materials and labor for this project. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Common Council of the City of Oshkosh that the City accepts with deep gratitude and appreciation the generous donation from the Oshkosh Opera House Foundation and that the proper City officials are authorized and directed to take those steps necessary to accept this donation and to enter into an appropriate agreement(s) for the purchase and installation of the proposed enhanced balcony theater seating for the Grand Opera House. F F.ill g s .,i, F,01. �; nFF�ate Oshkosh TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council FROM: Jon G. Urben, General Services Manager DATE: June 19, 2017 RE: Accept Donation from the Oshkosh Opera House Foundation of Enhanced Balcony Seating for the Grand Opera House BACKGROUND The Oshkosh Opera House Foundation is seeking to replace 224 seats of the middle and upper sections of the Grand Opera House balcony with 98 new modern theatre seats. The design, style and color of the new seats will be in concert with the architectural style and integrity of the Grand interior. The Foundation is seeking to donate all labor and material costs for this project. Section 62.15 of the Wisconsin Statutes allows municipalities to accept the donation of materials and/or labor for public construction as an exception to the requirements of the public bidding statute. Per the City's Gift Policy, the Foundation is requesting the Common Council accept this donation for this project and has completed the necessary donation form. Although this enhanced balcony seating possibility has been discussed with the Grand Opera House Advisory Board several times in the recent past, more complete details about this specific project will be shared with them at an upcoming special meeting. ANALYSIS The new seats will be wider with expanded legroom and will provide Grand patrons with an enhanced theatre experience. The Foundation has engaged a local architectural firm to design the project and the installation will be code compliant. In addition, the installation is designed to be fully reversible, if ever necessary. The Foundation is hoping to have the project completed by early September, 2017. Attached is the donation form for the project in addition to a memo from Opera House Foundation President/CEO Joseph Ferlo including a financial summary of the projected revenue from the new seating arrangement and photos showing the new proposed seats next to the current seats. FISCAL IMPACT The project is expected to cost between $100,000-$150,000 for all labor and materials and will be entirely covered by private funds raised by the Oshkosh Opera House Foundation. RECOMMENDATION In anticipation of the aforementioned review by the Grand Opera House Advisory Board, staff recommends the Common Council accept this donation and direct staff to draft an agreement for this City Hall, 215 Church Avenue P.O. Box 1130 Oshkosh, WI 54903-1 130 http://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us project with the Oshkosh Opera House Foundation. Respectfully Submitted, Approved: Jon G. Urben, General Services Manager Mark A. Rohloff, City Manager GRAND OPERA HOUSE Oshkosh Opera House Foundation Administrative Office 222 Pearl Avenue Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 920.424.2355 Grand Opera House 100 High Avenue PO Box 1004 Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-1004 920.424.2350 Box Office 920.424.2357 Fax www.grandoperahouse.org June 16, 2017 Mr. Mark Rohloff, City Manager City of Oshkosh 215 Church Avenue • P.O. Box 1130 Oshkosh, WI 54903-1130 Dear Mark: At its monthly meeting this morning, the Oshkosh Opera House Foundation voted to proceed with funding, in full and with private funds, an enhancement to the balcony seating at the Grand Opera House, which will be donated to the City of Oshkosh as a feature of this facility. The enhancement will replace 224 seats in the center balcony with 100 modern theatre seats, which will of course be complimentary to the seating and decor of the Opera House. The installation will be completely reversible if need be, but will provide a superior audience experience with wider and more comfortable seats and superior legroom. We have engaged the services of engineer Tom Karrels, whose knowledge of the facility is extensive, and he has been and will continue to work with city staff to ensure compliance. The work of creating wider aisles and superior legroom (by "filling" and leveling alternate seat aisles with matching carpet) will be conducted with a licensed contractor, working in conjunction with Mr. Karrels. In addition to creating a superior audience experience, the earning capacity for performances at Grand is actually increased (a goal we have all agreed was desirable) in this alignment, as what were previously D and E level seats are now replaced by AA seats. There are no restrictions or conditions to this donation, and we will execute it with privately raised funds at no expense to the City, as we did with the $1 million Grand Lounge project in 2010. We expect the cost of seats and modifications to code to cost between $100,000-$150,000, and as I mentioned, the cost will be entirely covered by private funds raised by the Oshkosh Opera House Foundation. The financing is in place and we are prepared to begin immediately upon acceptance of this donation. It is likely that a plaque will be installed at the side aisle of the balcony, to recognize any donors and to continue to recognize the donors whose names have previously appeared on the seat arms for the seats which will be removed and replaced. This will be done at a level of taste and quality consistent with the recognition done in the previously mentioned Grand Lounge project. We expect that there will be no additional maintenance required for these seats, once installed. In fact, we expect that the new seats will require less maintenance than do the seats currently installed. Though reversible if need be, the contactor and engineer, working with the City, will ensure that the lifespan of the project will align with the lifespan and maintenance of the facility. We have been in communication with Jon Urben as this project developed, and have presented to and will keep informed the Grand Opera House Advisory Board. We respectfully request the Oshkosh Common Council accept this donation on behalf of the citizens of Oshkosh, in order that we might proceed during the summer "down time' and have this enhanced seating experience available in time for the new season which debuts after Labor Day. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. All of us at The Grand thank the City Staff and Pscmon Council for their collaborative support as we all work to create the best experience for audien`,es who attend performances at the historic Grand Opera House. ph A. Ferlo ident and CEO Oshkosh Opera House Foundation, Inc. Cc: Frank Tower, Chair of the Board of Directors Jon Urben, Manager, General Services Division DONATION FORM FOR PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, MEMORIALS, TRIBUTES, WORKS OF ART (Including Funding Proposals for the above purposes) DONOR INFORMATION Name: � 1t�S►k OPV --RA Address: '22 z pfz-AgL_ f ug— c3SuKosp wt 544c>t Phone: _%W_ 4 ZA 2-:155 Email: JOEF @, GOAwDcJiF_eAuou5FL , oQc7 hereby makes a proposal to fund and/or construct a Public Improvement Project, memorial, tribute, or work of art consisting of RgPuA<_v_-- 224 CF__,%TE.a. aAi_to,.4y SF. _Ts UJ I 'C u too m oDE.a.r.1 ru 1 3rd :5eprTs (il- TN e CaM+n0 opf rt°s- LiWSr 7 u r,ztzFT loo WIQ4 e�VF_- , 054 yoSd W l The intended purpose of this donation is `TU C2sEp�--cv—_- SuPez+t: rZ r�ucs�c F �P�tL+iaC� priQD FgeaL�+V4 �_rzr►r,•�Ca Ci}Pf�C+ r~; . Proposed location i UCS Id 4 LiL1 (�W GI 0 Sr r►OSu W 1 This Donation subject to the following restrictions/conditions (if any): WNf Will the City be required to expend funds or otherwise participate in the donation or gift? If so, please identify the City's anticipated participation: _ No Will a Donor Recognition Object be requested as part of this gift/donation? If so, please include a description of the proposed object: PLPCQvSs- In►S'r'ArLL-E C OnlS15T�cr►r W IT14 Vim_ ,4,, _ 't'AST Pro QUR(_1� b�a� 6i�t CON,.? 5k'aG5 Condition, Conservation and Maintenance Requirements: What type of materials will be used in the proposed Project? Com6i�+�T+o�f oF: UR1�1ovS wc>opS, rne:--�c.S H+� Ff�$tZ�cS t�c.c.. rr�.E-T�„ty C��t �1� STt�-ri_ tiMLD1NU CoDeS, What is the intended lifespan of the Project? 10.1-- `(Ef-cLS What short and long-term maintenance may be required and what is the anticipated cost of such maintenance? Nd),If--- The City of Oshkosh will make reasonable efforts to accommodate the intended purpose of the donation but reserves the right to utilize, relocate and/or dispose of any item funded through donated funds as the City of Oshkosh may deem fit. This agreement shall not take effect until the Common Council for the City of Oshkosh has specifically accepted this donation. Off! �a7r�.{ c�}� �+a✓5E Fcx.J,.i. t�-�r arL, 1rt C, UG,, Iq.2c��7 Dr Date Donor Date Recommended: Department Head Date Accepted: City Manager Date GRAND OSHKOSH FOUNDATION- PROPOSAL FOR BALCONY SEATING ENHANCEMENT - ADDENDUM TO JUNE 16, 2017 LETTER (THIS ADDENDUM DATED JUNE 21, 2017) CLUB SEAT PROPOSAL The proposal is to replace 224 center balcony (price level D seats) and upper balcony (price level E) seats, with 98 club seats (price level AA). Because The Oshkosh Grand does not own the building, this installation will be done on a "reversible' basis —without changing any of the physical tiering of the seats. It will be accomplished by removing every other row of seats, and putting a cartpeted "plug" ito those areas, so as to create premium legroom. New, wider, more comfortable seats will be installed. Small cocktail tables will be grouped in front of each pair of seats, and a club seat ticket for Grand events will include a complimentary "first beverage". Although this reduces the overall capacity of The Grand to 525 seats, it actually raises the gross potential for sales by creating a higher -priced seat (see below). A number of "cheap seats" remain on the balcony and gallery sides. On average, fewer than 10% of all shows presented at Grand exceed 550 in attendance, so in essence, we are removing seats that are often empty and replacing them with premium seats. INCREASE IN EARNING POTENTIAL Gross potential increase per touring Current configuration New configuration show Ticket price, including tax Location- number of seats and fees Premium price (A-E)- 80 $40 Main Floor price (F -M)- 80 35 Circle Price- 90 35 Balcony Center Price -80 35 Balcony Sides Price -60 25 Gallery Price- 150 25 Average ticket price 31.85 Ticket price, including tax Location- number of seats and fees Premium (A-E)- 84 $40 Main Floor (F -M)- 80 35 Circle- 123 35 Club Seats- 98 55 Balcony Sides- 84 25 Gallery Sides- 30 25 Avera e ticket price 37.48 350 at average $11148 350 at average $13120 $1972 400 at average 12741 400 at average 14994 2253 500 at average 15926 500 at average 18742 2817 Sellout- 660 17200 GRAND OSHKOSH FOUNDATION- PROPOSAL FOR BALCONY SEATING ENHANCEMENT - ADDENDUM TO JUNE 16, 2017 LETTER (THIS ADDENDUM DATED JUNE 21, 2017) In this representative example (ticket prices vary per show) Under the new configuration, an audience of 500 has an earning potential that is 15-20% higher than that of an audience of 500 in the current configuration. Under the new configuration, an audience of 500 has an earning potential that is 5-10% higher than that of a sellout performance in the current configuration CURRENT VS NEW SEATS Current seat Proposed Club Seat