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Subject
Culture and Entertainment Plan - Presentation of Phase I Report
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Mayor and Council receive the presentation of the Phase I report for the Culture and Entertainment Plan, and direct staff to proceed with next steps for developing a Culture and Entertainment Plan for the City of Rockville. (See Attachment F)
Discussion
Phase I Objectives and Scope of Work
In accordance with the Mayor and Council goal of making Rockville a "Cultural Destination," and the 2008-2010 Vision Priority to "Prepare and implement a Cultural Plan with ambitious goals for cultural amenities, including programs for cultural and entertainment activities around Rockville," a Request for Proposals was issued for Phase I of the preparation of a Culture and Entertainment Plan for the City of Rockville.
Phase I of the development of the Culture and Entertainment Plan specified the following Scope of Work:
- Inventory existing cultural and entertainment resources of the City of Rockville.
- Interview representatives of cultural organizations
- Identify and analyze eight to twelve existing Culture and Entertainment Plans from other communities
- Analyze the cost/benefit of Rockville joining the Montgomery County Heritage Area
- Analyze the cost/benefit of Rockville establishing an Arts and Entertainment District
- Recommend next steps to develop a Culture and Entertainment Plan
The work accomplished in Phase I sets the stage for developing a Culture and Entertainment Plan for the City. It lays the groundwork and identifies the individuals and organizations who need to play key roles in working with the City to develop the recommended plan. The Cultural Arts Commission should provide a leadership role in the next phase.
Phase I Recommendations
In their report, the consultant team, The Minor Group (TMG), made the following specific recommendations as next steps in developing a Culture and Entertainment Plan:
Analysis of Interviews with Stakeholders
The Phase I report provided results of the interviews in a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) format. This information should be systematically grouped into main themes and sub-themes to gain a categorized overview of the desired visions; existing strengths and weaknesses/threats to achieving the visions; key opportunities for arts, culture and entertainment in Rockville; and how to sustain diversity.
Community Assessment
Assess the community's wants and needs which should include additional interviews/focus groups with the residents of Rockville and a scientifically-conducted survey.
Combine and Analyze Research
Review all of the City's departments' policies and ordinances to determine what is supported and then prioritize the combined results. Prioritizing must be based not only on what is important, but also on what is possible and realistic for the City and its partners to accomplish.
Create First Draft of the Culture and Entertainment Plan
Using the ideas that have emerged from the Phase I research, additional focus groups, and the survey, create a first draft of the Culture and Entertainment Plan. Include a vision, mission, overarching strategies, goals and the actionable objectives for achieving them.
Review and Finalize the Plan
Distribute the draft Plan for review by key stakeholders. Incorporate changes and produce a final Culture and Entertainment Plan for adoption by the Mayor and Council.
Operational Planning
Work with partners to develop action plans to implement the recommendations as adopted in the Plan, including resources (human and capital), time frames, deadlines, budgets, performance targets and who has responsibility for accomplishing each.
Coordination with City's Branding Process
The City is currently involved in a Branding Process through the Communication Division in the City Manager's Office. The data and feedback collected from the citizens, public officials and community leaders in Phase 1 of the Culture and Entertainment Plan will be integrated into the research phase of the Branding process. The impressive list of art and cultural amenities are expected to be reflected in the final brand strategy. Events such as Hometown Holidays, Memorial Day Parade, Uncorked Wine and Music Festival and the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration, as well as the many venues, performances and programs provided by the private and non-profit sectors, are notable attractions that have already established Rockville as a cultural destination. By developing a Culture and Entertainment plan, the City will continue to add value and credibility to Rockville's brand as cultural destination.
Side-by-Side Comparisons of Performing Arts Groups
At the request of the Mayor and Council, to augment the Phase I Culture and Entertainment Plan report, staff surveyed local performing arts organizations that present productions similar to those of the primary annual user groups at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre. Staff also surveyed other local venues that serve performing arts groups similar in nature to those user groups. Each organization was asked to provide information regarding their overall structure, administration, venue in which they perform including rental fees paid, budget, sources of support, and revenues. See Attachments A and B.
Master Plan for the Arts
Attached is the 2002-2008 Master Plan for the Arts, adopted by the Mayor and Council on September 24, 2001. This plan, developed by the Cultural Arts Commission with support from the Arts Division staff, contains many of the elements of the proposed Culture and Entertainment Plan. It is provided as a source document for review by the Mayor and Council. If staff is directed to proceed with developing the recommended Culture and Entertainment Plan, this process would replace the update of the Master Plan for the Arts. See Attachment C.
Mayor and Council History
As part of its 2008-2010 Vision Priorities the Mayor and Council established a vision of making Rockville a "Cultural Destination," and directed that the City should "Prepare and implement a Cultural Plan with ambitious goals for cultural amenities, including programs for cultural and entertainment activities around Rockville."
Members of the Mayor and Council were interviewed by the Consultants as a key part of the Phase I development of the plan.
Public Notification and Engagement
This project involved extensive participation and input by representatives from the public and from arts, cultural and other organizations. The Consultants conducted interviews with representatives from four City Boards and Commissions, and with arts organizations, arts venues, arts/ entertainment- related businesses, sports organizations, historical organizations, and civic and community leaders.
Boards and Commissions Review
The Consultants interviewed both the Cultural Arts Commission and the Recreation and Park Advisory Board at one of their regularly scheduled meetings. The Cultural Arts Commission received the final draft report and submitted their individual comments to staff at their March 10, 2010 meeting. Comments received from individual members of the Cultural Arts Commission are included in Attachment D. Comments from the Historic District Commission are included as Attachment E.
Next Steps
This report lays the ground work for the development of a Culture and Entertainment Plan for the City of Rockville. Should the Mayor and Council be supportive of moving on to a Phase II project to develop a recommended plan, funding for additional consulting services would need to be appropriated, in the estimated amount of $29,000.
Should the Mayor and Council direct staff to proceed with the next phase of developing a Culture and Entertainment Plan for the City, staff recommends funding the required consulting services from the Friends of the Arts account. Friends of the Arts funds are derived primarily from contributions made by developers as fee-in-lieu for the Art in Private Development ordinance requirements.
Attachments
Department Head:
Burt Hall, Director of Recreation and Parks
Approved on: 03/19/2010
City Manager:
Scott Ullery, City Manager
Approved on: 05/22/2010
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