City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: NOVEMBER 7, 2018
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
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TITLE
Development of a Vibrancy and Sustainability Plan for the Torpedo Factory Art Center.
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ISSUE: Preserving the Torpedo Factory Art Center as a keystone community cultural asset, developing a vibrancy and sustainability plan to improve the vibrancy of the Torpedo Factory Art Center for the benefit of the Alexandria community.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council receive and discuss this set of recommendations, hold a public hearing on November 17, and then adopt the following three recommendations:
(1) Direct the City Manager to develop, via a public process in coordination with stakeholders, a Torpedo Factory Art Center Vibrancy and Sustainability Plan, and bring that plan to City Council for consideration.
(2) Recognize that substantial capital funding, in the order of $10 million to $15 million, will be required in the decade ahead in order to address current and future Torpedo Factory Art Center facility deficiencies, as well as to address to-be-determined future program needs; and
(3) Affirm that the City of Alexandria Office of the Arts will continue as the long-term managing entity responsible for management and operations of the Torpedo Factory Art Center,
SUMMARY: Based on the City Office of the Arts staff's demonstrated and supported ability to effectively manage the operations of the Art Center, the desire and interest in working with the arts community both inside and outside of the building to enhance the experience of the visitors as well as the tenants, and the City's unique ability to provide capital funding over time to meet the current and future needs of the facility, staff is recommending that the City assume long-term governance responsibility for the Torpedo Factory Art Ce...
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