Windsor talk

[north 42]

There's gonna be a special on The National tonight about certain cities in North America that are redefining what they are and how they do things. Chicago and Cleveland were already featured, and tonight will feature WINDSOR and St. Catherines. Should be interesting to see what they have to say.

[Symz]

Originally Posted by north 42

There's gonna be a special on The National tonight about certain cities in North America that are redefining what they are and how they do things. Chicago and Cleveland were already featured, and tonight will feature WINDSOR and St. Catherines. Should be interesting to see what they have to say.

Oh cool, do you know what time it's on?

[north 42]

I can't remember what time, I just set my DVR to record it. I think it's on at 10.

[Symz]

Originally Posted by north 42

I can't remember what time, I just set my DVR to record it. I think it's on at 10.

I watched the one on Cleveland on the website, wow that looks rough there.

[north 42]

I'm gonna have to watch that one too, I've never been to Cleveland, but I imagine it's the similar to Detroit in terms of what the city has to deal with.

[Symz]

So what do you think about Eddie Francis lighting a fire under the U's ass, telling them to speed the whole process up?

Eddie's a always on 24/7 kind of guy, he wants to get everything moving, which I think is great. I think maybe he's a little impatient, it has only been a handful of months and from what I read in an article on CBC I think it was, the U does has been able to view the architectural plans already, so things are moving.

I can't help but wonder if he's got a Farhi announcement to make some time in the future. I'm not sure though, I don't want to get my hopes up, I'm not sold on Farhi yet.

[north 42]

I thought it was kind of odd, but he's just that type of guy. I'm kind of glad that he's pushing them to go faster, they can be very slow at getting things done sometimes.

I would love to hear something from Farhi soon, I was so excited when he started to buy properties here, but now I'm getting tired of not hearing about any plans he has.

[bolognium]

Farhi's alright, but he seems very comfortable sitting on his properties.

The only project in London that springs to mind is his renovation of the Capitol Theatre and Bowles Lunch buildings on Dundas. Farhi seemed ready to raze the buildings to create a surface lot until the City decided to lease space for its Planning Division. The massive Capitol auditorium was lost, but at least we still have an intact streetwall.

[Symz]

So they're relocating the downtown library to the art gallery, effectively cutting the art gallery's usable space by between 1/3 - 1/2 and the library by 1/2. So basically consolidation and downsizing.

I can understand the concept of having these institutions nearby as a library and gallery to me do have synergies, but it is also evident that the city is trying to save some costs here, which makes me wonder how we're doing financially and we're building a very expensive aquatic centre.

The art gallery building is a magnificent building but always has been underutilized as the amount of visitors at the gallery has been low ever since it has opened it's new building. Hopefully they can make this work and do it tastefully, I want to still feel proud of all of this even though it's being hacked and stitched together.

WINDSOR, Ont. -- In a move designed to establish a “cultural hub” in the downtown core, the Windsor Public Library is moving in with the Art Gallery of Windsor, whose multimillion-dollar home overlooking the waterfront will become the property of the city.

“We’re excited — the idea is to create a community meeting place,” said AGW director Catharine Mastin.

“It’s exciting ... it’s the right place for the library,” added library CEO Barry Holmes.

The plan was approved in principle by city council in a unanimous vote Thursday during a closed door meeting.

Coun. Al Maghnieh, the chairman of the library board, said the library and the art gallery also approved the plan in principle Thursday.

The closing date is Dec. 31.

Mayor Eddie Francis said the move will create a “cultural hub” in the downtown.

“Once people experience it, they’ll recognize what they’ve been missing,” he said.

A formal announcement will be made at a news conference at the art gallery today.

Ownership of the library’s central branch building on Ouellette Avenue also transfers to the city. Sources have said it is being eyed by Sutherland Global, which is searching for a new home for up to 1,000 Windsor employees.

It’s a win-win-win for all involved, said Francis. “We’re able to reduce costs and, more importantly, we’re talking about Windsor finally moving on a cultural hub,” he said.

The AGW loses its annual $450,000 grant from city taxpayers, but should find itself on a firmer financial footing.

“It’s widely known the art gallery has had financial challenges,” said Mastin. Asked about becoming a tenant of the city in a building the gallery’s autonomous board currently owns, she said “pride of ownership” isn’t as important as being able to focus on what can be offered to the public.

According to Francis, it costs about $600,000 to operate and maintain the art gallery building, a cost the city now assumes. But cancelling the $450,000 gallery grant, as well as saving on the $300,000 that goes into the annual facilities costs at the library’s central branch, will mean a net overall savings to taxpayers,

he said.

In taking over a building purpose-built for an art gallery, and which Francis estimates has a value of about $22 million, the city is also assuming the organization’s debt, which he pegs at $2.5 million.

Mastin said details still have to be worked out over sharing the current space, but she doesn’t see that as a major issue. The gallery has 74,000 square feet of area, and Maghnieh said the new library space will be on the main floor and take up between 30,000 and 40,000 square feet.

The central branch currently uses about 60,000 of the 100,000 square feet available at its Ouellette location.

“It’s what you’re doing in the building that is key, not the footprint,” said Holmes. Maghnieh said the library’s move will be done in phases, with hopes of having a presence in the art gallery by next spring.

Mastin said the art gallery sees up to 80,000 visitors a year — a fraction of the 880,000 annual visits to the library’s central branch.

The art gallery has waited a long time for more tenants in the city’s so-called western super anchor.

“It’s been a bit challenging for us, alone ... two blocks too far away,” said Mastin.

The library-art gallery will be next door to the proposed aquatic centre, which is set to open in 2013.

It will become “a destination place” for school groups, said Holmes, adding the new downtown library “gives us the opportunity to be innovative and creative.”

Students or families will be able to come downtown and “spend the whole day with us,” said Mastin. “It’s a synergy that makes sense.”

The gallery and library could save more money by sharing other resources, Francis said.

The move will also save the city another $8 million to $10 million, the projected cost of the original plan to build a new library next to the new aquatic centre, the mayor added.

Coun. Drew Dilkens, who chairs the committee overseeing the aquatic centre, said the deal “provides certainty” for the four parties vying to build the complex, which has a $67-million global budget.

“The gallery — it’s a whole new life for them,” he said. “This ensures the long-term sustainability of the gallery and the library,” said Francis.

The city wanted to stop the practice of the art gallery coming to council every year asking for money to avert a crisis, he said. He said the organization will retain “complete autonomy,” including its board and director.

The plan is expected to bring more pedestrians downtown, which is crucial for commercial development, Francis said, adding it also “bodes well” for future cultural developments.

The consultant studying the feasibility of a new museum is expected to recommend in January where the main museum and several satellites should be located.

And the move heralds a new, positive relationship between the city and the arts, Francis said. He acknowledged an often antagonistic relationship of the past.

Tense is an understatement,” he said. But, he added, “nobody can accuse us of being anti-cultural now.”

Francis credits new players on the scene like Mastin and Holmes and an economic crisis that has forced everyone to do things differently.

“The new leadership understands the new realities,” he said.



Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Main...#ixzz1e3ehEtWJ

[north 42]

I think it's a great idea of them sharing space. The art gallery needs the money and extra exposure, and the library gets a newer, modern space in the heart of the city. A win-win situation. I doubt the library needs all the space it has now, so less space shouldn't be a problem.

[Symz]

I have a feeling the city is going to try to fit in a community museum using the Chimzuk funds in this area.

[north 42]

^^^ I hope they do, we need a cluster of these cultural institutions downtown to attract more people who normally wouldn't come to the area.

I hope they move that sad science centre down there too, it might actually attract people to it for a change.

[Symz]

I drove past the club lofts in Walkerville last night. You know the lofts that were converted from an old Hiram Walker warehouse. Anyways, I never see any cars in that parking lot and now with the time change it's easier to notice people being at home because their lights are on. Last night when I drove by there wasn't a single light on in that building, no cars parked out front, basically it looks deserted and I'm beginning to think that even though that building has been ready to accept tennants for almost 2 years now that there's really practically no one living there, if anyone.

Sad.

[Blitz]

Yeah, I think the idea with the art gallery/library is to attract more cultural places to that area. Maybe we can finally get a proper museum to explain Windsor's great history and as we said, moving the science centre to that area would me nice as well.

I'm employed at the university and I think they're moving as fast as they can - it's not something that can be done right away. Wildeman is very methodical and knows what he's doing. Eddie has openly admitted that he's a control freak but I guess it's better to have someone like that in the mayor's chair overall.

The Club Lofts are too expensive to attract any new buyers. With home prices in Windsor the way that they are right now and other condos along the riverfront going for cheaper, they're going to have to wait 'til things improve or lower their prices.

[Symz]

Originally Posted by Blitz

Yeah, I think the idea with the art gallery/library is to attract more cultural places to that area.

Not only that, but the AGW is cash strapped and it's finances were forever on a downward spiral. Secondly, if you notice the total space for the AGW is ~74,000 sq ft. The current library is 100,000 sq ft, but recent articles say the library uses about 60,000 sq ft of that space.

If you do the math, the library will be downsizing by 2/3 to ~20,000 - 23,000 sq ft and the AGW is downsizing by that same space. The mayor and the Windsor Star are putting a positive spin on it.

I do think that both institutions will do better clustered together and I also think that it will enhance foot traffic in the area, but at the same time if you look closely you can also see what is also going on here.

[Blitz]

Yeah the library will be occupying less space because they won't be having so much shelving for books that are becoming irrelevant. It's definitely a cost-saving measure as well but I don't see a huge issue with that.

[north 42]

I really wonder just exactly what is gonna happen to those lofts, since there hasn't been any work done to them lately. I can only assume that they won't open untill there is a certain number of lofts sold. I would love to know just how many are spoken for already.

[Symz]

Originally Posted by north 42

I really wonder just exactly what is gonna happen to those lofts, since there hasn't been any work done to them lately. I can only assume that they won't open untill there is a certain number of lofts sold. I would love to know just how many are spoken for already.

My guess is that the building has been more or less finished for the better part of a year. I didn't see a single light on in the building at about 6pm the other day. I was kind of surprised actually because I keep hearing a buzz about the revival of Old Walkerville.

[Blitz]

It sounds like part of this library deal was the need to clear out the old library to move Sutherland and their 1000 employees into that building (or risk having the company pull out of town).

[Symz]

Originally Posted by Blitz

It sounds like part of this library deal was the need to clear out the old library to move Sutherland and their 1000 employees into that building (or risk having the company pull out of town).

Yup. Even though I have never heard anything great about working there the city just can't afford to lose ANY more jobs.