Members of the South Okanagan Performing Arts Society met with regional district directors this afternoon seeking $5,000 to help fund a visionary exercise in hopes of finding out what South Okanagan residents want in terms of cultural infrastructure.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

PENTICTON - It took some time, but South Okanagan performing arts enthusiasts were finally able to pry a few thousand dollars from regional directors this afternoon.

Leighton McCarthy, Cal Meiklejohn, Glenn Sinclair and John Archer appeared before Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen’s board of directors today, July 18, representing the South Okanagan Performing Arts Centre.

The four were seeking funding from the regional district for a visionary exercise aimed at finding out what priority culture holds in the South Okanagan, and to find out if there was momentum and vision locally to build cultural infrastructure such as a performing arts centre in Penticton.

The delegation asked the board to support a visionary exercise planned for Oct. 25, 26 and 27 by providing $5,000. The South Okanagan Performing Arts Centre Society and the City of Penticton are providing the other two-thirds of the funding for a total of $15,000.

McCarthy told the board they hoped to attract people in the performing arts, those involved in theatre groups throughout the South Okanagan and Similkameen, and other grass roots cultural types rather than just politicians to the three-day exercise.

“We are hoping to gather visioning information with regard to cultural facilitites and activities throughout the South Okanagan valley and through Keremeos to Princeton,” McCarthy told the board.

Meiklejohn spoke to the board about past plans to build a performing arts centre that never materialized, saying the organization decided to return to “square one, for one last kick at the can.”

The group had planned to hold a symposium regarding the building of a performing arts theatre in Penticton last year, but the symposium never materialized.

The workshop is intended to be by invitation, with no outcomes planned, although Meiklejohn said it had a “strong format.”

“What we’re looking to do is, basically gain information, and decide where and what, if anything we do with regard to culture in this community, how we deal with it in the future,” he said.

Several directors objected to the request, noting their communities already had a vibrant cultural element.

Princeton rural director Bob Coyne flat out refused the request, saying his area had a strong cultural community housed out of Riverside Centre in Princeton.

Osoyoos director Sue McKortoff said she was concerned her constituents wouldn’t be interested in being involved in something in Penticton, when they already had a lot going on in Osoyoos.

“We need to evaluate where culture is going, in the entire region, not just the lower region, not just in Penticton, because we all live here and we will all be affected by it,” Meiklejohn said.

"In the last 25 years, there have been nine studies, all of which started with an end goal of building something. Nobody started out with the question, ‘what is it the community really sees as the future?' What does it see as its present asset and debit, and after nine studies, why did no one ever ask, ‘what’s keeping us from getting to that goal, going from where we are?'" said Sinclair, adding those who gathered in the past “made sure that all the people in favour were there."

“This process is kind of different,” he said. “Is there a possibility for something greater that would uplift all of us? I don’t know."

Keremeos director Manfred Bauer also declined the proposal, saying performing arts executive could easily visit the individual communities to do their fact-finding.

Penticton director Jake Kimberley reminded the board of the “minimal amount” being sought by the arts centre group, to explore the issue saying there was a need to develop culture in the South Okanagan.

Kimberley said a performing arts facility in Penticton would promote professional theatre groups and entice more acts to tour the valley.

“For $5,000 between the regional directors here, to say you can’t afford this... I find it difficult to hear the comments. I’ve heard more money spent on less meaningful programs. I just want to appeal to the regional directors, what little money is being asked for here. It’s a three-way split. The City of Penticton approved it, I think there's a golden opportunity for everybody in this room to recognize we should be exploring these types of things,” Kimberley said.

The board approved the $5,000 expenditure, with directors Bob Coyne, Sue McKortoff, Manfred Bauer and Rick Knodel opposed.

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