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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 7, 2008 - 29 Artscene Oakville Beaver · WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2008 Town seeking residents' input for cultural plan By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Town is asking local residents to take a few minutes out of their busy schedules to comment on arts and culture in Oakville. The public consultation is part of the Town's $70,000 cultural plan initiative that was launched last fall. The purpose of the cultural plan is to help determine how much money should be invested in arts and culture, and where that money should go. "We're looking at this plan as being a document to help create a road map for the next 20 years on what changes you want to see in Oakville's cultural life," said Claire Loughheed, manager of cultural and heritage services with the Town of Oakville. "This will give the Town a better sense of where culture is at, where it needs to be, what are the gaps and how to fill those gaps." There are several ways to take part in the public consultation step of the cultural plan, which has the slogan `Culture Lives Here'. Those with computers can complete an online survey on the Town's website at www.oakville.ca/cultureliveshere.htm. Residents without computers can access hard copies of the survey at local libraries and community centres. The deadline to submit a survey is May 18. "A lot of what is in the survey is about people's feelings, thoughts and attitudes, so we can get a sense of what they value about culture in Oakville, what they think about culture and their personal experiences with culture," Loughheed said. "It isn't checking boxes and telling us what your age and income is. It is really about what your experience is and what council early in the fall so that whatever does you value." emerge out of this process, we can be able to Four public meetings have also been sched- start to incorporate those items in the budget uled. These will be open forums for members planning for 2009," she said. of the community to discuss ideas about the Various members of the arts community, direction of cultural funding. such as Don Pangman, board chair of Oakville "The meetings are really think-tanks and Symphony Orchestra, feel passionately about instead of doing formal delegations, these are the cultural plan. He said that people involved specifically to get in arts and culture people sitting down aren't generally vocal "A lot of what is in the survey is and looking at key advocates, adding about people's feelings, thoughts aspects of what we that now is the and attitudes, so we can get a need to work on chance to be heard. next," said "This is probably sense of what they value about Loughheed. the first opportunity culture in Oakville, what they think The meeting we've ever had for the about culture and their personal dates, times and Town to hear we have experiences with culture." locations are as folthese deficiencies, lows: that our programs Claire Loughheed, manager of cultural · Saturday, May are not being supand heritage services with the Town of 10, 9 a.m. to noon, ported well enough Oakville Oakville Centre and we have a huge Lobby and Studio shortage of facilities," Theatre, 130 Navy St. Pangman said. "The town is serious about · Monday, May 12, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., moving forward, but it needs input from peoIroquois Ridge Community Centre, North ple in the community who may have thought Ridge Meeting Room, 1051 Glenashton Dr. previously that they didn't have a voice." · Thursday, May 15, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 Pangman said he is anxiously anticipating p.m., Central Library Auditorium, 120 Navy the official announcement of the final cultural St. plan. He said that the contribution of arts and · Thursday, May 15, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Sir culture to a community is invaluable and John Colborne Recreation Centre for Seniors, should be made a priority by the Town. Among 1565 Old Lakeshore Rd. his many suggestions, he said he would like to A draft of the cultural plan should be on the see a number of cultural centres built Town's website by the end of July, with recom- throughout Oakville. mendations put in front of council in the fall, "You need a facility that would work for according to Loughheed. everybody, with a performance hall, rehearsal "We would like to take this forward to studio, high-end acoustics so that people could perform there and present a fine concert, display rooms and teaching rooms," Pangman said. "These facilities should be built across Oakville." Another element Pangman said he hopes for from the cultural plan is a new performing arts centre. He said that members of the Oakville Symphony Orchestra cannot hear each other in what he calls the acousticallydead hall at Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. Another problem is that they cannot rehearse on the main stage of that hall due to high rental costs. He said the Town should build a similar theatre to Brampton's new Rose Theatre, which is a $52-million, 880-seat venue that opened in fall 2006. He added that this new hall should be accessible to community arts groups. "We need a new performing arts theatre that could rival the Rose Theatre," Pangman said. Parity is also a key message Pangman wants to send to the Town. Currently, the Town spends several million dollars more on items classified as recreation compared to cultural items in its annual budget. "I believe that there is an equal importance of both recreation and culture, and that should be reflected in the Town's budget," he said. One or more multi-purpose arts centres are also on the wish list of a group called CommUnity Arts Space, according to Britta Martini-Miles, executive director. The nonprofit contingent of local arts and culture groups has already raised about $160,000 towards an arts centre, which they hope will be centrally located. 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