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Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

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Kiwanis Community Centre

 

These frequently asked questions and answers will be updated from time to time.

 

What is the Festival proposing? 

At present, proposal highlights include replacing the aging Tom Patterson Theatre and the adjoining Kiwanis Community Centre with a new 600-seat, 75,000-square-foot stage theatre surrounded by gardens, which is expected to draw over 52,000 additional theatre patrons to Stratford annually, and provide a platform to expand the Festival's Forum, Laboratory and education outreach activities.  

Why relocate the Kiwanis Community Centre users?  

In many ways, the active adult (55+) program at the KCC, as delivered through the Stratford Lakeside Active Adults Association, has outgrown the space. Over the last five years, membership has increased from 500 active adults to nearly 900. Over the next five years, it's expected to reach more than 1,200 members. We recognize the need to re-think how the City should serve this rapidly growing segment of the population, and further understand that the active adult of the future requires different facility models, planning standards and service delivery approaches.  Integration with the broader community is also a foundational consideration.

We also appreciate the desire for other community groups to have access to public spaces that are inviting and can easily connect them to other individuals and organizations.  

Consequently, the City of Stratford is interested in creating a larger, purpose-built, fully accessible state-of-the-art Community Hub that would support both the active adult population and the broader needs of our residents.  This proposed development has the potential to provide Stratford's residents with a new facility that would substantially increase community-centered opportunities and relationship-building, and offer better integration of users. The relocation to a larger site would have fewer barriers to citizen participation, would become a connecting point for multiple organizations to meet and collaborate under one roof, and would allow for greater program and service flexibility. Use of the facility could be optimized through a combination of shared and dedicated spaces.

The Community Hub that could be created on the City-owned Cooper site would build pride, support engagement and provide a sense of place for generations to come. 

Where would current KCC tenants and user groups meet during construction of a new Tom Patterson Theatre?
Interim arrangements would need to be made to accommodate all community groups during the construction phase of the project, in consultation with those organizations. City staff would be appointed to support and walk through the transition process with community groups, to ensure transition accommodations are delivered as comfortably as possible. The Agriplex adjacent to the Stratford Rotary Complex has been identified as a possible facility to relocate the Stratford Lakeside Active Adults Association (SLAAA). 
If the Agriplex is needed and selected as a temporary location, how long would impacted user groups be housed there?
Until the funding is determined for the Community Hub, it is impossible to determine a definite timeline for the temporary relocation of the Kiwanis Community Centre users. However, construction could last 2-3 years. 
What's the long-term plan for those user groups?
Should the new Community Hub proceed, user groups like the Stratford Lakeside Active Adults Association and its members would be invited to become an integral part of that multi-use facility.
How much would the new Tom Patterson Theatre Centre cost and who would be responsible for paying? 
The capital costs for the proposed facility are estimated at $68 million, and the Stratford Festival would cover all of those costsd. The Provincial and Federal governments have already promised $20 million each, and we understand that private donors have pledged over $25 million to the Festival.
When will we know if the Community Hub will proceed?
This will be dependent on Provincial and Federal funding decisions, and decisions by City Council, as the Grand Trunk (Cooper) property is City-owned. Consultation with community partners, including the University of Waterloo and the Stratford-Perth YMCA, would also be key to the decision-making process. 
What's the status of the Cooper Block Master Plan?

A public open house was held June 10, 2017 at the University of Waterloo Stratford campus, and feedback from that session, as well as input gathered from the community through kitchen table kits and the Talking Wall, was summarized by the consultant and presented to City Council September 11, 2017. That presentation is available on the City's website at

http://www.stratfordcanada.ca/en/insidecityhall/resources/ReportsAndPublications/2017.09.08-Grand-Trunk-Master-Plan-Consultation---What-We-Heard-Summary-.._.pdf

A second public open house was held Nov. 7, 2017 at the University of Waterloo Stratford campus, where the consultant, Urban Strategies, presented a Draft Grand Trunk Master Plan. That plan will be refined and presented to City Council for consideration in February 2018.

How would parking be affected by a new Tom Patterson Theatre?
The Stratford Festival would be required to have on-site parking for its proposed facility. Significant parking demand from the William Allman Memorial Arena and park users would continue. Consequently, the City would seek to use the Tom Patterson Theatre parking when it is not needed by the Festival, and would ask the Festival to look at new parking arrangements.
Are there environmental impacts associated with building a new theatre so close to the Avon River? 
Any proposed development along the Avon River requires review by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. 
How much does the Stratford Festival pay the City to use the Tom Patterson Theatre? 
The Festival currently pays rent of approximately $80,000 per year for use of the City-owned Tom Patterson Theatre property.
If SLAAA is relocated to the Agriplex, what will happen when regular events like the Dairy XPO or the Fall Fair are taking place there?
There may be some days when the facility would not be available to SLAAA due to scheduling conflicts, but the City would work to find alternate locations. 
Where can I find out more information about the Tom Patterson Theatre project and the Cooper Block Master Plan and Community Hub?

Tom Patterson Theatre: www.stratfordfestival.ca/TPTNEWS

Tom Patterson Theatre Open House

Cooper Block Master Plan: http://www.stratfordcanada.ca/en/insidecityhall/cooper-block.asp.

 

 

What resolutions has Stratford City Council passed regarding Tom Patterson Theatre redevelopment proposal?

 

October 24, 2016 

THAT City staff be directed to meet with the Stratford Festival to obtain a full understanding of their redevelopment proposal and report back to City Council;

THAT City staff examine the future of the Kiwanis Community Centre facilities and users and other potentially impacted activities as part of discussions with the Festival;

THAT staff also be directed to examine the potential of developing a larger community facility using the Provincial "community hub" model, that would provide a range of programs and service for all citizens, including active seniors;

THAT staff consider potential preferred locations for such a "community hub" in the City, including the Cooper site;

THAT City staff explore potential partnership opportunities with community groups and more formal organizations, including Kiwanis Community Centre users, the YMCA and the University of Waterloo‎;

THAT staff be directed to pursue the necessary senior government level funding required to support any new community facilities;

AND THAT City staff develop a comprehensive public consultation process for Council's consideration.

Sept. 11, 2017

THAT Stratford City Council re-confirms to the community that it has made no final decision on the proposed redevelopment of the City-owned Tom Patterson property by the Stratford Festival, and will issue an updated communique with additional background;

THAT staff be directed to complete a full technical site plan review of the proposed Tom Patterson Theatre redevelopment, as recently released by the Stratford Festival to the public, and report the results to Council;

THAT special public input meetings be convened to hear delegations relative to the proposed Stratford Festival Tom Patterson Theatre redevelopment, and invite representatives of the Stratford Festival to hear the submissions;

AND THAT these public input meetings be advertised widely. 

Feb. 1, 2018 

THAT the property at 48 Water Street, which has been previously declared surplus, be disposed by negotiations to a sole source, and that the intended purchaser is the Stratford Shakespearean Festival Holding Foundation.

THAT the City of Stratford enter into an agreement with the Stratford Shakespearean Festival Holding Foundation (the “Foundation”) to permit the redevelopment of the Tom Patterson Theatre on City-owned property municipally described as 48 Water Street, Stratford, Province of Ontario (“Property”);

THAT the City of Stratford and the Foundation execute a formal agreement with provisions that include, but are not limited to the following:

* A purchase price of $4.0M with transition costs of $900,000 and terms and conditions, including public access to parking and the green space in perpetuity;

* Assumption of transition costs relating to existing users of the property and the removal of contents/equipment;

* Ongoing use of parking by the public at no charge, and the registration of this public entitlement on the title of the property, with the detailed arrangements established through the Parking Strategy;

* Ongoing access to the passive enjoyment by the public at no charge of green spaces on the property, and the registration of this public entitlement on the title of the property;

* A future City-initiated site-specific zoning by-law amendment for all properties to be used for the new Tom Patterson Theatre. This would reflect the limited use and form of development of a theatre and limited ancillary uses, but would also include ongoing public use of the property;

* The City retaining the first right to purchase the property should the Foundation decide to sell the property to an unrelated entity, and the property is no longer predominantly used as a theatre; and

* The City of Stratford and the Foundation deal with any matters involving road allowances through separate future legal arrangements.

THAT the Chief Administrative Officer, in consultation with the City Solicitor and the Festival, develop a Transition Plan and negotiate an agreement of purchase and sale with the Foundation with the agreed upon terms and conditions to report back to Council, as described in this report;

THAT the Chief Administrative Officer, in consultation with the City Solicitor and the Foundation, develop an Implementation Plan, with requirements to report back to Council, as described in this report;

THAT the Stratford Fire Chief be directed to establish a new emergency reception centre to replace the Kiwanis Community Centre;

THAT the Chief Administrative Officer and the City Solicitor be authorized to finalize the requisite contractual documents, including any minor administrative adjustments and the legal description of the purchasing and operating entities that are consistent with Council’s approved terms, as described in this report;

AND THAT the Mayor, Clerk, City Solicitor and CAO be authorized to execute all of the requisite contractual documents.

 

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