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SR-305-002-01 (2) 3~- poz-. 0/ \\-A ~ ' J.~I: ...~ . -1"'- - ~ ~ eM: KKS: dvm. city Council Mtg. 2/9/88 Santa Monica, California TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: City staff SUBJECT: Recommendation to Fund Wests ide Children's Museum for Payment of First Year Rent of $26,940 Introduction At the December 8, 1987 meeting, the City council directed Staff to review and make a recommendation on a proposal from the Wests ide Children's Museum for the city to provide start-up funds of $26,940 for its first year rent at the Madison School site. Council directed staff to notify neighbors of this proposed use as well as to report back on the parking and traffic i~pacts on the neighborhood. In addition, the fiscal aspects of the proposal were a subject of debate. This report addresses these issues and makes recommendations on the proposal. Back9round The Westside Children's Museum has operated as a "museum without walls" staging events in the community over the last two years. Exa~ples include construction and design events with the Pico Neighborhood Association; chalk murals on the Third street Mall; and sand sculpting. The Museum recently successfully negotiated with the School District for rental of the cafeteria, kitchen, outdoor courtyard, and parking area at the Madison School site. II-A - 1 - I ::.. r;. . ~~..r~~ - III _" The Museum's proposed first year budget totals $137,781: $70,500 of which is earmarked for capital improvements to the facility and $67,2B~ is for operating expenses. Revenues are estimated at $147,500. Taking a more conservative approach, Staff believes the operating budget (of which the City rent contribution is 40%), constitutes a more realistic first year budget. The Museum raised $18,000 from membership fees, Board of Directors pledges, and community contributions which when combined with the city's commitment equates to securing 67% of its operating budget upon opening. In this context, the Museum's efforts to secure earned and donated income for the balance of its operating needs seems achievable. The proposed program for the first year should positively influence earned income from memberships, donations and workshops/performances. Additional Considerations The Westside Arts Center has recently raised concerns to staff about duplication and unfair competition. The Arts Center conducts classes which are primarily aimed at teaching art and music. The curriculum components are developmental in nature to the extent that each succeeding lesson builds upon that which was presented in previous sessions. Outreach to local schools is an important component. In addition, one-time workshops are presented around seasonal events and exploring art teChniques. The Arts Center is concerned with program duplication during the first year between their events and some of the Museum's start-up weekend events. Al though there is dupl ication in the arts and - 5 - On December 8, 1987, Museum representatives made a presentation to council requesting payment of its rent of $ 2 6,940 for the first year as a challenge to other funding sources so they will also contribute. Staff proposed four conditions that, at a minimum, should be considered in the granting of ci ty funds. First, the Children'S Museum must match the city's investment by raising $12,000 in pledges before execution of a contract and have in place a fund-raising plan for securing the remaining $15,000 during the first year of operation. Second, the organization must commit to remain in the city for at least three years. Third, the primary entrance to the facility, as well as physical improvements, must be handicapped accessible. Fourth, the group must coordinate with other relevant arts organizations, through the Arts Commission in terms of programming and fund raising in order to avoid duplication. The Museum agreed to meet all these conditions as well as institute aggressive outreach to low income and minority communities. Council concern focused on notification to the neighborhood as well as parking and traffic issues. The fiscal aspects of the proposal were also the subject of concern. This report addresses these issues in detail below. ~eish~orhood Notification staff officially notified area residents through conducting a zoning administrator hearing on the proposed use. All property owners and tenants, totaling close to 500 residents, within a 300 foot radius were officially notified. The Museum also delivered a "good neighbor" flier to the residents surrounding the site. No one spoke against the project at the hearing. - 2 - Parking and Traffic Impact Staff performed a parking and traffic analysis of the Museum's use of the Madison School site. Staff does not anticipate any adverse traffic or parking impact created by the Museum. Our analysis and conclusions are primarily based on on-site observations of a Museum event held on Saturday I December 19, 1987. No adverse traffic impact was created by the Museum activities. Traffic on streets and intersections flowed smoothly and uninterruptedly. Minor congestion was observed at the parking lot entrance on 11th street ten minutes before the event but we believe this was caused by motorists stopping at the entrance to ask a Museum parking attendant where to park. This minor congestion did not cause a problem because 11th street is striped with a two-way left turn lane between Arizona Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. For future events, we recommend locating the attendant further inside the parking lot. We also lI'Iade a check of parking conditions in the off-street parking lot (on the school property) during the above mentioned event. There were approximately 70 vehicles parked. This included both staff and visitors. About one-third of the available parking area was utilized, and therefore we conclude there will be adequate off-street parking for Museum activities. A check of on-street parking showed no adverse impact due to Museum activities. This is generally a multi-family residential area and we found approximately 80-90 percent of curb spaces were - 3 - being utilized. This is expected on-street parking for this type of area. Checks made days before and after the Museum event disclosed approximately the same parking usage and therefore we do not believe parking by Museum visitors adversely impacted adjacent streets. For additional analysis, we attempted to compare traffic conditions at this site when it was Madison Elementary School, with the proposed use of a children's museum. The site when used as an elementary school generated approximately 340 trips per day, and the proposed Wests ide Children's Museum will generate about 180 trips on special event days. It is expected that the traffic generated will be less for routine Museum operations. Therefore, the traffic impact to the neighborhood when the site was an elementary school was greater than the neighborhood will experience if the site is used as a Children's Museum. Finally, a check was made of the other potential users of the Madison school site. The School District informed us the only other activity on the site will be the Neighborhood Support center. The Center has only three employees and it is not expected to create any adverse traffic problems. Fiscal Analysis Staff reviewed the Museum's revenue and expense projections for the first year of operation. Although projected revenues seem optimistic, Staff considers the organization in a good position to operate a scaled down program and make facility improvements only as revenues permit. - 4 - music area, the Museum's performances and workshops in the first year include other subject areas. Specifically, event planning inel udes: understanding doctors and medical exams; an archaeology workshop; science workshops presented in collaboration with the Los Angeles Natural History Museum; and sand sculpting. The Museum thereafter anticipates serving school groups and the general public through permanent collections and allied programming not limited to art subjects. Staff recommends that the two organizations work together on the arts events and that the Museum craft its other events to emphasize collections as the basis of its temporal programming so as to avoid duplication of what the Arts Center already provides the community. staff sees no long term conflict between the organizations. In the past two years, the two groups have had discussions aimed at collaborating on events. Staff has encouraged future collaboration because the focus and scope of both organizations is potentially complimentary. The two groups have met recently and agreed to collaborate on art events in the future. Regarding the concern over unfair competition, the Arts Center was concerned about the process of city consideration of the Museum proposal. Staff has maintained that city consideration of the Museum I s proposal is unique and largely a function of space becoming available through the School District as well as a timely opportunity to expand programming for children in Santa Monica. Funding would be granted solely as seed money on a one year basis. - 6 - Budget and Fiscal Impact Funds in the amount of $26,940 are available for the City's contribution for rent from the General Fund Non-Departmental Contingency Account # 01-700-274-000-785. For administrative control purposes, this appropriation authority should be transferred from account # 01-700-274-000-785 to account # 01-200-262-000-500 in the community and Neighborhood services Division of the Community and Economic Development Department. Conclusion staff has reviewed the fiscal, parking and traffic and programmatic implications of funding the Westside Children's Museum. On a financial basis, staff considers the Museum's operating expense financial plan achievable; its financial projections are optimistic for completing its capital improvements during the first year. As seed money, the City'S grant could then be viewed as a "challenge grant" which would allow the Museum to operate for the first year while securing financial commitments for planned expansion. Based on the parking and traffic analysis, we conclude the operation of the westside Children's Museum at the former Madison School site will not have an adverse traffic or parking impact on the neighboring streets or intersections. We believe traffic conditions will not noticeably affect the neighborhood. Also, we believe there is more than adequate off-street parking to accommodate visitors. Although Staff has spoken with the westside Arts Center regarding possible duplication, we feel there is room for both groups and - 7 - programs in the communi ty and will continue to encourage the groups to work together. staff considers one time payment of rent a reasonable investment because the programmatic benefits of what the Museum would offer the community and the School District merit the city being the financial impetus to getting the Museum establ ished. Staff, however, recommends that only a one year funding commitment be made. staff recommends that Council authorize the expenditure of $26,940 subject to conditions and transfer appropriate funds from the Non-Departmental contingency Account #01-700-274-000-785 to account #01-200-262-000-500 in the Community and Neighborhood Services Division of the community and Economic Development Department. This approval should be subject to the four conditions stipulated previously as well as the requirement that the Museum collaborate through the Arts Commission with the Westside Arts Center to avoid duplication. Prepared By: Kathryn K. Spellman, Sr. Management Analyst Ron Fuchiwaki, Parking & Traffic Engineer Henry Korn, Arts Director (chmusem) - 8 -