Mareel - Cinema & Music Venue

[reesie]

I can totally understand where you're coming from.

 

I know loads of great musicians from the isles, I'd imagine there would be a good few benefiting. Also, perhaps there will be programmes introduced that entail outreach workshops to the isles or schools from the isles making visits etc. I don't know. Perhaps I can tend to be a little unrealistic . I'm just trying to be as optimistic as possible and ,like you, hope it works for the best.

 

So, I suppose what I meant by 'improving opportunities' was that the centre will hopefully be a great source for the community in terms of access and education within music/arts. Sorry if I'm sounding a bit airy fairy but I don't know any of the proposed details in this area, I'm just considering possibilities.

[Guest Anonymous]

Really interested to see the comments from Yell and this just shows how little real info may have got into the depths of the public domain of late.

 

However in the report and costed in the business plan is a full outreach / rural programme which hopefully covers many bases. Perhaps you would be most interested to hear though that the plans include a major enhancement of Shetland Arts Trust current Co-Promoters' events that presently visit rural public halls with a variety of acts - with many events in Yell, Unst, Fetlar, Fair Isle etc

 

The plan is that if we can bring a good quality band (of any kind) to the Lerwick venue for one night and sell a good number of tickets, then it makes it feasible to do (subsidise is the word) a second night in an 'outlying area', particularly the islands who, as you rightly say, have more problems getting into Lerwick than most. This is because a major part of our outlay on getting bands here are the air-fares not performance fees (the boat adds two days to a visit - and we often have to pay extra for travelling time) It means if we do two nights its better value for this expenditure, and why do two nights in Lerwick or nearby?

 

Regular events of this kind impact on rural audiences, take musicians to all parts of Shetland and support local halls directly and form a extremely important part of the future plans. Our current Co-Pormoters initiative lives from year to year on very shaky foundations, depending if I can find money from.....well wherever, but its probably the most enjoyable part of the job - we have a good night too!!! (especially in Yell.....less said the better)

 

This has been going for eight years now and hopefully this plan will see it run more stably for many more. Sure you may still have to come to Lerwick to see the bigger acts that come for one night only, but seeing as the ferries are no longer a problem (to the best of my knowledge anyway) this will hopefully not be too much of a problem on occasions at least.

 

Yes we will also offer an outreach education programme to those who want it - doing what they want to do most, but I suspect the gigs will be more popular for sure.

 

Think about it. With a mimimum amount of effort and investment (also already planned) we should also be able to digitally beam gigs, or whatver, happening in Lerwick to outlying areas as well (via webcam or similar process), so anyone not able to get to Lerwick to see a gig might not miss out. Trials in this respect will be run shortly.

 

Don't worry guys we've not forgotten you.

[Guest Anonymous]

Brian

 

Can you possibly change your vote indicator to show that the proposed cinema and venue is a £7m project (with £2.2m of this hopefully coming from outside Shetland) rather than the £9m it presently shows - which is inaccurate.

 

Also I feel it would create a more balanced arguement if the cost of refurbishing existing or additional unused buildings to do a similar job was known. I dont have the figure but I can assure you it would be substantial as well. So much so that this alternative was discounted at a very early stage of the process. This is not to mention the additonal revenue costs of managing and runnning a number of individual units that would work less effectively together.

[admin]

Brian

 

Can you possibly change your vote indicator to show that the proposed cinema and venue is a £7m project (with £2.2m of this hopefully coming from outside Shetland) rather than the £9m it presently shows - which is inaccurate.

 

Shetlink strives to be accurate at all times, if you are confident about this figure then we'll use it. Amendment made.

[dB]

Just a note on the Folk Festival and Fiddle and Accordian Festival "not using the venue for the festival". No one other than the organisers can honestly make that statement, and from what I have read so far this has not happened.

 

I have to say the post from Marvin re: redeveloping and using The North Star seems to be worth investigating. However the Council may have a problem with this given that they don't own the venue, and that George Hepburn may not be willing to sell.

 

 

Looking at the CINEMA AND MUSIC VENUE - REVIEW OF BUSINESS PLAN it says that there are to be 3 Festivals per year with an average attendance of 1300. Can someone tell me if these are new festivals or do the figures include the Folk and A&F Festivals?

[Guest Anonymous]

"I would have said there was about 40/50. That included a small delegation from the Arts Trust"

 

Having just had time to fully read your pages (in my own time I would add) I would like to congratulate Marvin, among others, for putting forward a balanced and substantiated scepticism toward this project. I may not fully agree with him (is fixing up a number of old and stucturally unknown buildings really the most cost effective and best quality option in the short or long term?) but at least he seeks to add substance and reasoned agruement to his case, and for that alone 'we' are more than happy to have further discussions with him as a newly co-opted member of the Cinema and Music Centre steering committee.

 

I would just like to correct him on the above quote. Shetland Arts Trust did not have a "small delegation" at the meeting. The only person from the Arts Trust who attended was me. The only other person in the audience remotely connected with the project was Caroline Miller from the publicly elected project steering committee.

 

Everyone else there who was "pro" came of their own account - although I know a number will chose to believe otherwise. Had I decided to encourage other pro folk to attend I would like to think I could have increased those number dramatically, but had no reason to do so.

 

Secondly, someone asked me last night, re Wednesday nights meeting in the Garrison, "where were all those FOR the venue"? Given the tone of the 'invite' to the meeting this can hardly be deemed surprising and, lets be honest, given the relatively low turn-out of the so-called "silent majority", estimated at around 50 if you discount the pro's and 'neutrals' in the audience, it seems to me ironic that anyone now try and turn the tables in the opposite direction.

 

Finally the objectors at the same meeting, all apparently "concerned ratepayers", appear to have chosen to latch on to just ONE instance where a new arts development's capital expenditure went over budget - namely 'An Laantaire in the Western Isles'.

 

If indeed the public purse were their concern, surely they could also find similar instances of schools or bridges projects that suffered from this same problem during actual construction - but thankfully they do not appear to be directing their "concerns" toward other projects in the SIC's Capital Programme such as the Anderson High School or the Bressay bridge - who quite possibly could suffer the same level of risk.

 

I wonder why?

[Guest Anonymous]

Luigi

 

These could or will be new 'festivals' or perhaps more accurately 'specialised' weekends such as say a classical or jazz 'festival' or perhaps say a Bluegrass weekend, or indeed whatever. I would hope you would agree that our projected attendance figures are 'conservative' for such an approach?

 

Cheers for all the worthwhile comments

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks Brian

 

That is the figure in the SIC's capital programme. The £9m figure appears to have come about either by adding the £2.2m of external lottery funding TO the SIC's capital expenditure rather than taking it away to show the local contribution or through pure conjecture.

 

Keep up the good work

[Jimmy Jimson]

Luigi

 

These could or will be new 'festivals' or perhaps more accurately 'specialised' weekends such as say a classical or jazz 'festival' or perhaps say a Bluegrass weekend, or indeed whatever. I would hope you would agree that our projected attendance figures are 'conservative' for such an approach?

 

Cheers for all the worthwhile comments

 

A bluegrass weekend sounds like an excellent idea.

[Marvin]

Also I feel it would create a more balanced argument if the cost of refurbishing existing or additional unused buildings to do a similar job was known. I don’t have the figure but I can assure you it would be substantial as well. So much so that this alternative was discounted at a very early stage of the process. This is not to mention the additional revenue costs of managing and running a number of individual units that would work less effectively together.

 

But Davie, you said at the meeting and at other times the new arts agency will continue to operate the other units (Garrison and Islesburgh). This new setup is going to be of a fragmented nature. I don't know what staffing arrangements are going to be but I would imagine that Islesburgh would need at least the same compliment of staff it has at the moment. Many of the functions of Isleburgh would not lend itself to admin/manual workers not being onsite. There is also the two cafes in Isleburgh and one in the new venue. That's a fair bit of fragmentation...

 

I am obviously not arguing that fragmentation is best, what I'm saying is that the alternatives need to be looked at.

 

It may cost less and it may be an option that needs to be considered if for no other reason than to prove that the £5m spend is the best option. I'm sure that the Arts Trust would greatly benefit from being able to prove that they have proceeded with the plan with all the necessary options looked at (in full). Public perception and credibility of the venue would be improved and this is going to be vital (bums on seats etc).

 

An Laantaire and their overspend seems to be a topical subject. I think it is wrong to damn Shetland's music venue based on teething troubles in Stornoway, but besides that, if our (Shetland’s) venue gets the go-ahead on the 29th of March, it may well be several years before it actually gets built. Can we, or should we, monitor the success of An Laantaire in the interim? Can we use it as an indicator? I'm not loading the question (its genuine )......would it be a useful indicator or is the situation there different to our own?

 

On my statement earlier regarding the "small delegation from the arts trust", I got that a bit wrong. What I was trying to convey was that the crowd was small and on top of that some people there were obviously supporters of the venue.

 

I would just like to correct him on the above quote. Shetland Arts Trust did not have a "small delegation" at the meeting. The only person from the Arts Trust who attended was me. The only other person in the audience remotely connected with the project was Caroline Miller from the publicly elected project steering committee.

 

and Richard Wemyss (which makes 3) = small delegation

 

Having just had time to fully read your pages (in my own time I would add) I would like to congratulate Marvin, among others, for putting forward a balanced and substantiated scepticism toward this project. I may not fully agree with him.....

 

Thanks for that Davie. I for one have always been a big supporter of music development in Shetland. The last thing in the world I want to see is the wrong decision made and it be to the detriment of music in Shetland. I've never said that the venue shouldn't be built....I just think that all the options have to be looked at and that the anti-competitive nature of the venue doesn't sit very well with me….I am however willing to listen (as you have done)…and that’s the key to a good debate and that must be good for the project as a whole..

 

…..'we' are more than happy to have further discussions with him as a newly co-opted member of the Cinema and Music Centre steering committee.

 

Can't wait for the first meeting.....I'm going to chuck all my toys out of the pram......speak over the height of everybody.....listen to nobody......and come with arguments like..."and onywie, my dad's bigger dan dy dad...so dair"

 

If indeed the public purse were their [sLTA] concern, surely they could also find similar instances of schools or bridges projects that suffered from this same problem during actual construction - but thankfully they do not appear to be directing their "concerns" toward other projects in the SIC's Capital Programme such as the Anderson High School or the Bressay bridge - who quite possibly could suffer the same level of risk.

 

I wonder why?

 

Which is why I said to them at the meeting that I thought they would get more support from the community if they came out and said that their problem with the venue was that it was their belief that it would affect their businesses. When I asked them why, if they were so concerned about the public purse, they didn't convene a similar meeting when the museum was being planned...I got lambasted and they couldn't see I was trying to help them and I got the answer....."because dir no sellin beer in da museum" ....which was my point....it really was a farce! I can't begin to explain to people who weren't there how atrocious it was....

[Muppet]

Just for the sake of putting the £80 000 figure into some kind of perspective, does anyone know how much places like Clickimin, Isleburgh, Garrison etc. lose every year?

 

Dont really want to hear things like 'it comes from a different pot' a loss is a loss in my book.

[Marvin]

I know how much the deficit on the sports facilities are but I'm not sure if its in the public domain, I'll check and post on Monday.

[jz]

I know how much the deficit on the sports facilities are but I'm not sure if its in the public domain, I'll check and post on Monday.

 

Why shouldn't it be in the public domain? It's our money so we should know the running costs of the facilities.

[Marvin]

Why shouldn't it be in the public domain? It's our money so we should know the running costs of the facilities.

 

Yes, it probably is but I'm not going to start posting things here that could affect my job. I'll post as soon as I can find it in the public domain or get clearance when I get back to work on Monday.

[Guest Anonymous]

I know you think Marvin that the meeting with the SLTA was a shambles, but you must remember that these guys aren't PR gurus or public presenters. They are simply ordinary men worried about their business.

 

Another important fact is that they are also competitors. Yes perhaps they bit of more than they could chew but they were united, what other competitors do you know would unite in such a way? . Nobody in Shetland likes to put their head above the daisies (it might get chopped off) but to their credit they did. At the very least they have sparked off a debate, which whatever angle you take it from was bound to come up sooner or later.

 

If any one should go on the forum to debate this venue it should be one of the people from the aformentioned group.

 

The North Star nightclub has been offered to the council on more than one occasion (the last time was Feb 2006).