Does anyone actually want this?

I actually want this, and I attend very few of the performance arts at present. Need to round out ourselves and not concentrate so much on the physical end of our lives.

I was at a Cougar game the other night and must say I am disappointed at the million dollar score board. Colors are not vivid, big line down the middle of the screen. So please take that purchase back and put it towards to the performance place :)

If there is anyone wondering what kind of performances might play at such a venue, have a look at the calandar put together for the Port Theatre in Nanaimo so far. Typically a variety of events every weekend. For those who like this type of entertainment, something for almost everyone from what I can tell.

http://www.porttheatre.com/calendar/all.html

And that is is a location which is a couple of hours from Victoria and even Vancouver which has about as much choice as one can get on the Canadian west coast.

This will be a positive project. One more way to diversify the north after the fall out of the forest industry. This will be a step in settting up an infrastructre in the arts and intellectual industry for the north. We need to attract more producers from vancouver to come here and do business. We have a wide pool of talent and resources to draw from in this area and this project will be another way to promote these talents and resources. Arts of all kinds in the north are sadly overlooked and a major lack of appreciation is given to them when compared to sporting events ect ect...

So we should go to the Civic Center Rm 208 and disrupt the meeting? Would that be taken as public input? Or is the public input just for the supports?

So if Room 208 was just jam packed, with 85 people, would that be taken as a sign that 79,915 people don't care and would rather just do their own thing? Now are 85 people going to finance the Arts Center?

Why not do a petition to support the Arts Center? Have a normal acceptance level like a treaty where 50% + 1 is required for it to pass. Seems a reasonable way to get the rest of us to finance their entertainment, don't you?

RUEZ: Yes, plenty of people want this. What percentage?? Who knows. But based on the numbers of Cougars fans and the approximate population of PG, only about 4% (ish) of the poplulation goes to the Multiplex to watch junior hockey. Only about 2% participates in minor hockey. Only about 4.5% uses the soccer fields. Only about 1% uses the trail systems. For that matter, a very small % of our population will use the new cancer center. (Please don't overanalyze my percentages...they're rough estimates only to make my point) What I'm getting at is that if we dictate all future decisions based on the % of users compared to the overall population, nothing will ever get built in this city again.

Buzz you might have a valid argument for a PAC if you didnt already have some facilities in Prince George Ie; Vanier Hall, Playhouse Theatre, Theatre Northwest, Civic Centre, Artspace, and of course the Multiplex for some performances that are to large for the foregoing. Dont foreget that the Multiplex was supposedly built just for such occasions. Thus the name MultiPlex.

The Port theatre in Nanaimo looks nice, and probably serves a purpose for that town, which I might add is surrounded by other Citys of varying population that would give some support to Nanaimo. We dont have the same luxury. In addition most of the performances listed at the Port have already played Prince George in one or the other of the present facilities.

Im not a big fan of the PAC however if an **honest** plan was put forward that would show such a facility is wanted by the majority of taxpayers I would support it, however I doubt if (1) you will ever get an **honest** evaluation of this project, and (2) we already know that most people do not support the Arts in this town.

What we will end up with is a huge $25 Million dollar facility which will cost a fortune to run, sitting idle most of the year, much like other civic buildings in this town, with a huge cost attached for heating, etc;

I think a center would be ok IF, they better utilized the spaces they have here now, FIRST

A facility like this is a no brainer IMHO, especially if we are trying to attract people to PG and build our community.

As far as people here not supporting the arts, there is allot more to "The Arts" than the Art Gallery and looking at a painting on a wall. As an example, I wouldn't dream of going to certain musical performances at the acoustically dead thing we call the CN Centre, but put that same act in a smaller more intimate facility designed for outstanding sound quality, lighting, etc. and I wouldn't hesitste to go.

I simply refuse to believe that the population of PG is only concerned with hockey games, gambling and hit to pass :)

You want intimate, go find a peep show. Use your own dime.

hahahahaha...thanks for the chuckle YamaDooPolCat...good one. I also agree. I don't want my tax dollars going to pay for another art's centre. We have enough already. Let's put the money to some good use, like helping the homeless and low income put an affordable roof over their head.

Nah, it makes more sense for this to be a publicly funded facility since it will benefit the public at large. I'm not sure why that is such a difficult concept to understand :)

People in Prince George are certainly interested in more that hockey, gambling, and hit to pass, however once you throw in soccer, basketball,skiing, skating, etc; and other entertainment such as those that take place in the facilities mentioned above you really dont have sufficient people to support a $ 25 Million or more PAC.

The true hockey fans are now the ones supporting the Cougers, and once you eliminate the numbers for the season tickets that are paid for, but not used, and you are looking at between 1500 and 2000 fans per game.

If they had used 2000 fans per game as the criteria to build this centre it would have never been built, instead they built a centre for 6000 fans,even though they knew that the most that had ever attended a Spruce Kings hockey game was around 2000. Where did they expect to come up with 4000 additional fans. Once the frost was off the pumpkin the soft fans stayed home and we are now seeing the real numbers.

You can apply the same outcome to the PAC. There is not sufficient numbers of people in Prince George to support this type of facility. Even if you close down the Playhouse Theatre (and they will) and take away all the business from Vaneir Hall,(and they will) and entice Theatre Northwest to use the facility you will still come up short, and taxpayers will have to fill the void.

They would be far better off to take over the Civic Centre and renovate it to whatever they think they need, because that facility is hardly used, and is a huge cost to taxpayers. Lets utilize what we have, rather than build more.

And they are determined to build it on the downtown core?
Who is pushing for that I wonder?
Not so sure that is a prudent move but then I have little or no say...one vote....MAYBE

Don't want to turn this into a debate about the Cougars, however, I completely disagree with your stance that the current attendance reflects the "true fans" and thus the actual demand for such a product/facility in the City.

Regarding the PAC, I know everbody always brings up the referendum from ages ago about how the people of PG don't want such a facility. First off, it was never a question of not wanting one, it was a question of priority. Second, I'd love to see an analysis which would demonstrate how the demographics of the City have changed since that time. The City has changed immensely since that time and I would suggest that the appetite for a facility such as the PAC has as well.

Rennovating the Civic Centre is an interesting idea, assuming it could accomodate what would be needed for a PAC.

I do support the PAC, but not now. Perhaps people should look around at the poor state this city is in. Potholes, crumbling sidewalks, worn out signs and weeds everwhere. Fixing these problems would do a better job of attracting a larger demograpic of people to move or even stay here than the PAC.

That's a good point slider71. The overall image of the City could use some much needed repair.

What is wrong with you people? Look outside the box for once and get a grip on how a proper PAC would enhance this comunity.Yama you need a life.

"So we should go to the Civic Center Rm 208 and disrupt the meeting? Would that be taken as public input? Or is the public input just for the supports?"

YDPC .... Why do you even use the word disrput? Have a discussion about what your concerns are would be more appropriate terminology.

BTW, what is it that you want in this community that others do not support or you are not getting because people are saying: "that YDPC guy is an elitist and we do not want to support elitists because ... well because they are elitists."

Personally I don't find snowmobilers elitists.

"Perhaps people should look around at the poor state this city is in. Potholes, crumbling sidewalks, worn out signs and weeds everwhere."

I wish that our Mayor (whoever it is) would make a solemn announcement: "Listen, the PAC is the last public project that this city will borrow money for! After that we will DEFINITELY concentrate all our efforts on ditches, weeds, potholes, curbstones, sidewalks and such dedicated repairs until our city looks as if somebody actually CARED about its appearance and safety! I will resign if my revitalization plan doesn't get actually carried out promptly after the ribbon cutting at the PAC."

O.K., I am daydreaming again, but wouldn't that be something? An actual long term plan that the citizens are aware of and support, instead of lurching from one expensive spur-of-the-moment project to another, forgetting about the real nitty-gritty?