Penticton Art Gallery seeking city money

PENTICTON – The Penticton Art Galley is looking for more operating money from the city as it works with city staff to build a new lease agreement.

The art gallery’s 20-year lease agreement with the city currently has the city owning the land while the art gallery is responsible for the building and its associated costs. The agreement ends Sept. 30.

Art gallery staff have requested the city take over all building costs, which would leave the art gallery responsible for wages, programming exhibitions, janitorial and curation.

It’s estimated repairs, upgrades and maintenance to the gallery will cost around $445,000 over the next 10 years, while the city currently provides financial support in the form of a grant, nominal lease and permissive tax exemption to the tune of $240,928.

The art gallery has also made a request to the city for financial help of $23,463.94 to deal with matters related to a recent break in at the gallery, and an additional $5,500 for heating, ventilation and air conditioning repairs.

Art gallery and city staff are working to determine next steps with regards to the lease and use of the building, a report before council says.

Under the current agreement, Director of Development Services Anthony Haddad says in the staff report the city is under no obligation to fund the requested items, but the city has several options where it could fund or partially fund the requests.

Council will be asked to consider the following options at Tuesday’s regular meeting of council:

•  council not support the funding request
•  support a portion of costs up to $3,266, which is the unallocated amount of funding left in the city’s municipal grant program
•  council support 50 per cent of the art gallery’s $28,463.94 request through unallocated municipal funds and administrative savings.
•  council support 100 per cent of the request through unallocated municipal funds and administrative savings.

City council will consider the matter at next week’s council meeting on July 16.

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