fusion Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Id be suprised after all they said that it would be self financing and they would never ask for any more. I bet Gary Robinson is laughing up his sleves after all the gloting when the previous conveniour used his casting vote to build the place. How times change. Mind this is before the running costs are worked out too. I though Mr Robinson was very restrained on the radio tonight. Now after not giving public halls money to fix urgent repaiers, what chance do they have to pay over spending? times letters page should be full of country letters next week? It should also be noted that the films on the Garrison was only on 2 nights and 2 days a month and mareel is open 30/31 days. So id blinking expect it to be better figures! glad i have nout to do with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Yep, it's not so much the running costs but, the cost of building the place. They have already been given almost £6m of our money so, my opinion is that the Arts Trust should find the money from it's existing budget and that those few who shouted long and hard for the place should be asked to contribute as well. Not a penny more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 What happens if the council say no to the extra money?. What will be lost from other funders if the council does not help fund the shortfall?. How much will be lost in total?. And of course what happens to Mareel if there are no funds forthcoming?. Will they have to borrow from a bank to pay the construction bill or just fund from profits......if any?. One thought!. Has Shetland Arts exhausted all ways to get compensated from anyone responsible for the contract being completed late which of course added to costs and reduced income?. Final thought!. Is anyone's head on the block over this?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusion Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 well maybe its time for the trustees to do some fundrasing - bag packing at tesco? staff over £20k to take a pay cut? some active ways of getting some money in the bank? id be suprised if the get the money so the managment better have a plan B. If they dont get the money they will go bust? made insolvent and the council will take them over? Total clear out of trustees and manegment? but who ever is to blame will they be made financialy liable in their own pocket? or will they just jump on the boat and sausage aff, leaving us we the bills to pay? all interesting questions which many folk will hear the answers before the end of the financial year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiboy Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 hope da council tell dem whar tae go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Symbister Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 If they dont get the money they will go bust? made insolvent and the council will take them over? Total clear out of trustees and manegment? Actually, on the Richter scale of Shetlandic financial misadventures, this one barely registers. An over-run of 10% on a project like this is hardly unusual, nor can Shetland Arts be blamed for a contractor going bust, which seems to account for at least part of the problem. We now have two superb cinemas (vastly better than an Odeon industrial box I had the misfortune to visit last week), an excellent auditorium and brilliant teaching facilities. The public response has been very good. It is a huge asset. Should the Council stump up? I'd say yes. Other, external, funders have already committed themselves and despite our perfectly obvious need to cut day to day running costs across the Council, this is a one-off capital item. And although it is clearly very early days, it is now no longer crazy to imagine that Mareel as a whole may break even or even make a small operating surplus. Incidentally, I don't think that comparisons with rural halls are actually appropriate. Mareel is one of a kind and seeks to serve the entire population with specialised facilities of a quality that simply couldn't be justified anywhere else in Shetland. It really is in a different category. But - that said - I totally deprecate the decisions taken on those two halls. The money was in the budget, they'd sweated blood locally to raise money and they'd assiduously applied for every form of grant aid going. The last-minute decision to withhold those funds looked as though it was born out of sheer panic and was, by any measure, irrational. There may be a need dramatically to reduce or even eliminate support for many facilities, including perhaps some halls, but decisions taken on the hoof are never the right way to make those decisions. What is needed is a proper strategy, openly discussed with every hall committee, that maps out an affordable way forward. In the meantime, projects that were, in current parlance, 'shovel-ready' ought to have been given the green light. It was a very poor show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 If they dont get the money they will go bust? made insolvent and the council will take them over? Total clear out of trustees and manegment? but who ever is to blame will they be made financialy liable in their own pocket? or will they just jump on the boat and sausage aff, leaving us we the bills to pay? It would appear that Shetland Arts is not a limited company, so the trustees will be liable for the debts if it goes bust. Of course there may be an insurance policy in place to indemnify them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getaba1110 Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Mareel has had an excellent start. I have no issue with the ‘expected additional funds’. However I do appreciate concerns, therefore why doesn’t the council loan them the monies on the basis of a interest only loan over long period (with a fair and reasonable rate). Please no more debate over Mareel...let’s just support it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusion Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 I'd get used to the debate as it will never go away. When its public funs that run it, then the public will always have an opinion, and they will always be yes and no people as art, in what ever form it it we will either love or hate it. The fact that shetland still has an art trust in todays world is still amasing, when many of the south councils are cutting art expences by up to 100% ie like newcastle! 100% cut from now. the thing we must get is for the arts trust is to kinds think of the most popular art forms and to remember they have a 300 seat venue to fill, all the time, getting 30% full is a disaster in my eyes, when it should be 100% all the time. Maybe all the Shetland Trusts need a good shake up and staffin levels looked at and if they are top heave then maybe their is need for a re-shuffle? I'm sure clickimin must be just as top heavy as the others so im not just picking on one Trust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Please no more debate over Mareel...let’s just support it! Given that a large number of people (probably a majority) were opposed to it from the start, can you explain just why they should now support it.? When it comes down to paying for someone to sweep our streets or, having a cinema/music venue, I know where my money is going... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 When it comes down to paying for someone to sweep our streets or, having a cinema/music venue, I know where my money is going... Perhaps folks should take pride in where they live and not treat it as a rubbish dump. You would not have to wade through the rubbish if folk cared. Why did you miss out the other important roles the building fills? Simplistic arguing will not really win they day. I still wonder, if so many did not want it, how did it get there. Surely you were not hoodwinked into allowing it. The request is reasonable, I don't mind some of my taxes going to it. As well as clearing up your slester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Please no more debate over Mareel...let’s just support it! Careful, statements like that could be read as suggesting the right to freedom of speech should be withdrawn. As regards the money, I'm not even going to consider whether Mareel really needs it or merits it, the SIC has maneuvered itself in to a position whereby they simply cannot justify granting any, regardless of amount. To do so, if they can find any to grant, will lead to a barrage of accusations of inconsistency and favouritism. It also sets a precedent, as somebody, probably several alleged in the earlier days of this thread, no sooner would it be built than it would be back at the SIC cap in hand. If this is granted, how many more times will there be future requests? Mareel made much of the fact that no more public monies would be required beyond covering the originally agreed contract price. Perhaps they should not have been so rash as to make such sweeping generalisations, which could serve no purpose other than be a vain attempt to also silence critics, and the public might have felt slightly more charitable towards them now. Sorry, but if you make public statements, folk will hold you to them. You make your bed.... So, Mareel has bills to pay, don't we all. They had a contingency fund, which was wiped out very early on by all accounts, but didn't they have some sort of insurance to cover for an overspend beyond contingency? Let them negotiate with their creditor(s) and financiers, like we all have to do. This is a commercial venture rather than a public service, as we were oft reminded when the business plan was up for debate, let it behave like one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ariel Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Actually, on the Richter scale of Shetlandic financial misadventures, this one barely registers. An over-run of 10% on a project like this is hardly unusual, nor can Shetland Arts be blamed for a contractor going bust, which seems to account for at least part of the problem. We now have two superb cinemas (vastly better than an Odeon industrial box I had the misfortune to visit last week), an excellent auditorium and brilliant teaching facilities. The public response has been very good. It is a huge asset. Should the Council stump up? I'd say yes. Other, external, funders have already committed themselves and despite our perfectly obvious need to cut day to day running costs across the Council, this is a one-off capital item. And although it is clearly very early days, it is now no longer crazy to imagine that Mareel as a whole may break even or even make a small operating surplus. Thank you, Symbister, for some intelligent and well-expressed comment. Always a breath of fresh air on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 Perhaps folks should take pride in where they live and not treat it as a rubbish dump. You would not have to wade through the rubbish if folk cared. Are you suggesting that we do not need street cleaners? Why did you miss out the other important roles the building fills? Because;1. They have already been flogged to death2. I do not consider them important at all. Simplistic arguing will not really win they day. I still wonder, if so many did not want it, how did it get there. Surely you were not hoodwinked into allowing it. You seem to be blessed with either a very short memory or are completely ignorant of the facts... The request is reasonable, I don't mind some of my taxes going to it. As well as clearing up your slester. Good, you can pay my bit as well... NB. I do not create any 'slester' but dispose of my rubbish carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted November 24, 2012 Report Share Posted November 24, 2012 He he, same old stuff. The education side not important to you. That could be seen as quite sad, folk should have every opportunity to learn, otherwise, how could they make such witty and enlightened comments. If my memory serves me correctly, most opposition came while it was being built, until then, folk, as ever are not really interested. It was put there with the blessing of enough of the populous for it to go ahead. The isles do well at the moment, compared to other areas. Alas, you are just a single voice. Taxes do not work like that but I am happy to spend some of yours here as I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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