MINUTES
City of Guadalupe
Special Meeting of the Guadalupe City Council
Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at 6:00 pm
City Hall, 918 Obispo Street, Council Chambers
and
1775 East County Rd. 1300
Carthage, IL 62321
1. ROLL CALL:
Council Member Christina Hernandez
Council Member Gilbert Robles
Council Member Whitney Furness
Mayor Pro Tempore Eugene Costa Jr.
Mayor Ariston Julian
Mayor Julian called the special meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Council Member Costa, Jr. was absent. All others were present with Council Member Furness present via zoom. (Note: The abbreviation, "CM" for "Council Member", will be used in these minutes.)
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION FORUM
Request to Speak:
George Alvarez: This weekend for the first time in a long time, we've had activity with our police department. Tickets were given out. It's about time. Each time they give a ticket, the City gets $55.00 per ticket. We need more action with people doing U-turns. A community without policing and a community that doesn't obey the law really messes things up. Thank you to the Police Department for doing their job.
Another thing is there's blight in our town. There are two (2) houses that are horrendous. They should be tagged and one should be demolished. Have we talked to the owners to see if they can improve their properties and improve the community as a whole? There's a lot of lack of activity in the enforcement team. Looking at homes, yards, and what-not off of 11th Street, there are apartment buildings... A community that does not take care of itself will dwindle. It's an eyesore...it's an embarrassment. We have five (5) of you guys up there to take care of the goods of the City. We have staff that's supposed to do certain responsibilities, and I see they're not doing it.
June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 14 I've lived here for 75 years. I love this little town...not so much the people, but the town has good history. It's your responsibility to take care of that.
Mireya Piña: Fireworks...since last year and this year, there's been an increase in fees in the space on the parking lot and storage behind the Police Department where we would store some of the fireworks. New fees were shared. I just hope that we could consider some of the new suggested fees that we've come up with.
Sam Duarte: I work with families, community engagement, and leadership development. We've been doing it for 14 years. We're the Guadalupe Community Changers. We collaborate with the City and non-profits across the county. We have a major fundraiser coming up. It brings us much needed funding to keep going. This year actual fees were dug up, the fee schedule with quite an increase. This funding is hard to come by. You can't get it with traditional funding sources. Family Service Agency is collaborating on a potential grant to beautify one of our parks. Showing that type of collaboration and partnership, we hope that you will consider reduction of fees for this particular non-profit.
Deborah Sykes: There's a common problem here. Tractors coming in town, being on the road, and not pulling over. I was coming home from Tahoe. it took me 20 minutes to go from Oso Flaco Road through town to turn on 5'h Street. Police, look at the tractors. Make them pull over. Tractors can be controlled in town. There's no way to get to 5th Street without going on Hwy 1.
REGULAR BUSINESS
4. ROYAL THEATER PROJECT PRESENTATIONS AND UPDATE.
A. Thomas Brandeberry, Project Manager
1. Presentation
2. Precision Estimating Services - Royal Theater Construction Cost Estimate (NOTE: Please go to the City's website at www.cityofquadalupe.org under "City Administration...Agendas/Minutes" for the complete presentations.) Mr. Brandeberry gave a brief background on the Royal Theatre and the project to refurbish and develop it into a performing arts center. He stated that he's been involved with this project since 2018-2019. Some of the highlights of the presentation were as follows:
• The building is listed as historic by both Federal and State. The Japanese owners of the building were interned and, unfortunately, never got the property back. Much of downtown was considered "Japan town"...much went away. There is the theatre and two (2) vacant properties attached which now is all "one" site.
• Project started because of theatre's value to be reopened - value to downtown businesses. • The Royal Theatre was considered the most important thing for revitalization of the downtown area in all City plans.
• Many people remember when the theatre was open in its heyday. A hundred people have told stories of going to the theatre. Many of those people still live in Guadalupe.
June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 14 • The completed project will be the first ever performing arts center in Guadalupe. GBA wanted a stronger tourism - too many dollars leave Guadalupe and not a lot come in. The Royal Theatre is that thing that could bring dollars into Guadalupe. • From an art perspective, there is nothing in town for the kids, and the adults, too, to be involved in performing arts.
• There is currently no operator for the theatre. The operator will create an advisory committee with local residents. It's important that the operator and the City ensure that this theatre is used for non-profits. The community aspect of this theatre is very important. • To date, the $10.5M in funding is a "capital campaign'...funds from EDA, CA Arts Council and RDA funds (Successor Agency). (Note: the RDA purchased the theatre; the State eliminated RDA, put the Successor Agency in charge who then gave it to the City with the agreement that the theatre would be renovated into a performing arts center. The theatre has to meet state and federal guidelines. Plans have been approved, plan check completed, and permits issued. The estimated construction and soft costs for this project showed a projected shortfall of approximately $3M.
• Project costs include construction costs and "soft" costs, such as project management, building inspector, etc. These "soft" costs are pretty solid as they're based on contracts that individuals already have.
• Having an idea that there'd be a gap in financing, tax credits were explored. The consultant was hired to look into both historic and new market tax credits. Consultant said earlier this year that "we pitched the new market tax credits and nobody wants it". For historic tax credits, federal monies must go to a "for profit" • The EDA said we could not use EDA money where it's going to a "for profit" because that's enriching a private entity. (If the EDA monies were lost from a timing perspective, we could go back and get this historic tax credits. The monies are available and can be obtained under the right circumstances.) • To ensure long term sustainability, the goal is for the project to not carry debt. Other funding sources were researched such as banks, federal/state, USDA rural loans, foundations and capital campaign. The General Obligation Bond meets the goal of zero debt to the project.
• It was emphasized that the quoted "$77" for a single-family residence is an estimated annual cost, not monthly.
B. Andrew Goodwin Designs, Architect
1. Presentation
Mr. Goodwin is the architect for the Royal Theatre project. He began working with the City back in 2016 with the refurbishing of Le Roy Park. In 2020 he was asked to provide pro-bono design services to see what could be done with the Royal Theatre. The initial assessment was that there was a lot to improve. The significant plus was the boxed art deco building. He said that those types of building don't exist elsewhere. Creating structural stability was needed.
Mr. Goodwin went through a variety of slides showing the current configuration of the Royal Theatre and designs to turn it into a performing arts center. Because of the theatre's historic June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 14 stance, Mr. Goodwin said, . "Federal and State tell us what we can and can't do with historic buildings. You can't put a brick building next to a brick building and make it look like it was original. The building that's addition to it has to be subservient in both perspective and in style. It can't be gaudy and an overlooked item on the property. The seating area will be refurbished as will the existing concession area and restrooms to make them ADA compliant.
The entry lobby flooring will be preserved. There'll be a commercial kitchen added to the first floor as well as additional restrooms, a lounge, secondary lobby and new stairway.
The new second floor plan showed a flex-spaced classroom, projector room, new restroom, outdoor deck, flex office space and refurbished marquee. The new third floor will have an outdoor roof deck, mechanical roof deck, interior flex space and an "escape stair". It was discussed that this area might be good for small groups to have events.
There will be parking in the back of the theatre off Olivera Street. However, spaces are limited so the majority of parking will need to be on the streets as well as the Veterans Memorial Plaza. This project will also include a public plaza and an outdoor amphitheater.
A landscape plan was also shown with drought tolerant planting, flat turb area for outdoor events, landscape plaza and stormwater management and street trees at the parking lot.
Various types of plants were shown as possibilities to go with the historic design of the theatre.
Mayor Julian then asked before opening the discussion with the public, if City Attorney Sinco and/or CM Furness, who were both on zoom, had any questions or comments on the presentations. Both City Attorney Sinco and CM Furness had no questions.
CM Hernandez asked, "If we lose the EDA (Economic Development Administration) monies, can we use historic tax credits?" Mr. Brandeberry said, "Yes, we have some timeline issues with EDA. This came from President Biden's infrastructure bill. Because it came from emergency infrastructure monies, there are some specific guidelines. By March 2025, we must start construction. They'd also expect to finish by March 2027. If we don't have the $3M, we need to change the project and have to do new plans. New plans won't get done by March 2025. Maybe wed only have the movie theatre and nothing else. We probably have enough money to do just that."
Ms. Janice Davis, Finance Director, then asked, "The historic tax credits...how much would they be and how would they come in?" Mr. Brandeberry said, "We'd need to create an LLC to collect the monies which we haven't done at this point. It would be between $600k-$700K. It all comes in when construction starts...one chunk of money." Ms. Davis added, "Then it wouldn't fill the $3M gap. " Mr. Brandeberry agreed that it wouldn't fill the financial gap.
Before turning things over to those requesting to speak, Mayor Julian said, "The plans are exquisite to me. The end product would be a great one for Guadalupe. Just how do we get there is why we're here." He then opened it up to those who requested to speak. He did say June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 14 that for those who came in late to the meeting, there were speaker request forms in the back if they wished to speak.
Deborah Sykes: I've lived in Guadalupe for 35 years and to some of you, I'm a child, in that respect. I know people who've lived here their entire lives, and their families have been here for generations. Despite the fact that I'm relatively new, I love this town. I've seen the historic retail disappear, and it breaks my heart. The population has grown exponentially. The balance with the retail is off the mark....way low in retail to help support our community. / want to know about the parking. How much is there? (Mr. Goodwin said that there will be 11 spaces.) That means that Guadalupe Street, Hwy 1, will be overwhelmed if we have big events. In my mind, it's worth it.
I believe in this project. I want to see the city thrive. Anything we can do is a benefit. I know it's going to cost me and my property taxes. I my mind, I'm willing to do that. Is there any chance that these funds will be reallocated? (Response was 'no'.) What are the estimated rental fees for events? (Mr. Brandeberry said we'd need an operator to answer that.) Are Guadalupe community events to be billed? (Mr. Brandeberry said that the operator and City have to negotiate those things.) People who are not in attendance today, new and old members in the community, all told me that they are for this project.
George Alvarez: I have a problem with this project. It's the cost factor that bothers me...$10Mt should be enough. I'm not for raising property taxes with the large amount of monies that you're receiving. A lot of people that live here really have a history of not actually accepting the ability of the City Council to do its job. We've gone through various phases of taxes...school taxes, one of them, adding taxes. I heard $77..value of house for 30 years. / want to know that number before I vote on something that's going to raise my taxes if I have property here. $10M+ should be sufficient to take care of the job.
Shouldn't continue to tax the community for a handout...what's the return? I held two (2) 4th of July events at the Royal Theatre with Hancock College, Atkinson Dancers, etc. The reception is very low. The community doesn't accept certain things here. There's a downside of developing any form of income for the purpose of having activities. Again, I think the monies are enough. Find ways of other sources, if possible. If we can just take care of the theatre to start, that's fine. Do it in areas of progression. We're always caught up in timelines, and the general public gets screwed.
Albert Nunez, Jr.: I wanted to drop in some comments on the other side of the project.
Tonight, you've heard about the financial piece and how the project will lay out. The impact of an arts program or a PAC (Performing Arts Center) on a community is calculable. There's a lot of data that suggests that bringing a focal point of arts to a community can do wonders for its younger generations and also for its older generations. In Phoenix, when they developed their arts center, they saw, in the arts downtown area, a 104% increase in tax revenues against a citywide deficit of 1%. Developing a PAC here will bring taxes, but a community becomes more connected. Projects born in the community and put on by the June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 14 community start to develop a community pride. Your City Council meetings will be standing room only.
Participants who are more involved in arts programs are more involved in civic issues. Caring more about the home that we have...it's not just a place to get our mail. Some of the skills that participants gain from the arts are accountability, time management, creative expression, pride in accomplishment in what you've built, etc. I have a report in the Library of Congress. The subject is "Using Theatre as a Medium of Education". It was my senior project from Cal Poly. The research I did for that study took three (3) years. I developed a theatre club of high school students traveling up and down California for three (3) years promoting AIDS awareness in 1993. The impact of the arts on this community outweighs, for me, any cost that I'm willing to pay on my taxes. Thank you.
Melissa Chavez: Thank you for letting me share my thoughts and my experiences. Like other Guadalupeans, I fondly remember the Royal Theatre as a fundamental part of my childhood.
One of my earliest recollections was sitting in the front row with my sister to watch the premiere screening of the Beatles' "Hard Day's Night" in 1964. The screaming of my auntie's friends seated behind me was deafening and a quintessential childhood memory. Then a decade later, the theatre was packed with many of the same people who cheered Guadalupe kids celebrating their 8'h grade promotions including me. The Royal Theatre was one of the few places where entire families could gather on a weekly basis to enjoy popular American movies, as well as multi-cultural screenings of Filipino and Mexican films, play Keno, attend talent shows, and even watch a simulcast of Muhammad Ali's latest prize fight. No other building drew community members from all walks of life like the Royal Theatre which sits vacant and crumbling today.
One memory I have is of Mr. Domingo, a Spanish and arts teacher, in 8'h grade. He selected a group of drawings and paintings from his class to be displayed at Security Pacific Bank downtown. My work was included, and I can't express how encouraging that was. It was in the City Council chambers, right here, this room that / attended English classes in junior high school. It was here that Mr. Beligmeyer encouraged us to read literature and speak from the lectern. I didn't believe that I was qualified to make my voice heard in any way. But the suggestion that I could contribute helped build my confidence that helped me in my senior year in Cottonwood, Arizona.
It was there that I noticed a campus with an indoor amphitheater as the center of the school.
It was there that I became immersed in the performing arts. Not only did I thrive but my "C" grades began "A's". Later as a churchgoer, 1 lead congregations in musical worship. As a parent, I learned to play the guitar and taught my children how to play, too. All three (3) grew up to be musicians. In other words, extra effort by Mr. Beligmeyer, Mr. Domingo and my drama teacher in Arizona made a difference in my experience.
As you know, the Royal Theatre is located within the Japanese enclave at the south end of historical commercial business district. The theatre was opened in 1940 by Mr. Arthur S.
June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 14 Fukuda. In 1942, Mr. Fukuda was forced to sell the building when he and his wife were interned in a relocation center in Arkansas. One of the greatest ironies in our community is that when war bonds were being sold at the Royal Theatre in 1942, its owner and many Japanese Americans like him were being rounded up and sent away. It's my appeal today, on behalf of the Royal Theatre, a little bit quieter but no less significant. I see more than a neglected building. What I see is a world of possibility. I, too, have a vision for kids to thrive just like I did. I stand on the shoulders of great teachers and others who are working right now in this town to make Guadalupe a great place to live. So, I humbly ask the members of the Council and the Mayor, to preserve, renovate, and, indeed, enlarge our beloved icon in honor of Arthur S. Fukuda, who established it to benefit generations of Guadalupeans right now and here to come. Thank you.
Mireya Peña: I work with Family Services Agency, Little House by the Park. I'm just here to share a couple observations. I don't live here, but I work and play here. And I don't feel l have a place to express a stance. I just wanted to share some things that I've heard from the community that we work with. This is a complex issue. This presentation and hearing folks' comments kind of help paint a picture. I've heard a lot of people saying "yes", a lot of "noes", a lot of people highlighting the pros and cons. I think one of the most common concerns I'm hearing is community access to the building once it's there. The "noes" are coming from folks currently in financial hardships. Adding an additional expense at the end of the year can make a big difference, particularly for those who rely on social security, for example. The bond is for 30 years. I've heard talk that there are additional bonds for the school. How many more within 30 years will come up that will require a last resort like this.
I wanted to share something that doesn't relate to this but it does, to some extent, last October, I went to gun violence training for three (3) days. One of the takeaways I took from this training is that it's important to invest in projects that benefit our community. But we have to think about sustainability. The thing that stood out was that it's important to fund things but to keep the funding there. There's more damage to the community if there's no consistency. Programs get shut down which can impact people and youth who partake in these new projects. Thank you for your time.
Jeannie Mello: I've lived in Guadalupe for 21 years. My comments are born out of their presentations. What are the bid packages and when are they going out? (Mr. Brandeberry said, "When there's a project and everything comes together, specifications, plans and City's rules...it goes out for bid. We usually wait 60-90 days for contractors to submit those bids.
We're required to take the lowest bid.")
The $3M gap. What guarantee is there that it won't go higher? (Mr. Brandeberry said, "None.") Okay, so / think the estimates given are a problem because it's so wishy-washy.
There's nothing written in stone...too many variables.
Mira Beyeler: I'm with the Guadalupe Visual & Performing Arts Center (GVPAC). Since 2019, we've been working with the City and the renovation of the Royal Theatre. The GVPAC was June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 7 of 14 involved in the early stages of design with AGD (Andrew Goodwin Designs). In 2022, the City approved an MOU with the GVPAC as the eventual operators of the Royal Theatre. While I acknowledge that the MOU has expired, I think it's important to note that the commitment GPAC has had to the theatre for the past five (5) years on this project as a whole. Outside of the theatre, GPAC has and will continue to be committed to expanding the arts and children-focused opportunities in Guadalupe and the broader Santa Maria Valley. We've partnered with various organizations to host events and workshops, including working with the GBA, Dunes Center, etc. We are very committed to seeing the Royal Theatre renovated and reopened. We believe having multiple efforts of raising the additional funds will only improve the chances of the project being completed to its full potential.
GVPAC has met with the Guadalupe Community Action Coalition (GCAC), the City's new non- profit, three (3) times over the past two (2) months expressing interest in partnering with the City to run an additional capital campaign that will help and not hurt the current financial situation. We were told to present a proposal to the GCAC who would then bring the proposal to the Council for formal approval. This proposal has been shared with the GCAC, and we look forward to hearing any updates from the GCAC or the City so we can begin these efforts. If any of the community or any other organizations would like to partner with the GVPAC on additional fundraising efforts, we would love any and all partnerships. Thank you.
Garret Matsuura: I first want to acknowledge the hard work that Thomas has done towards fundraising but also the incredible amount of work that Andrew has done. It's very much appreciated. I have a couple questions and a couple statements.
1. In looking at the Precision estimates, I didn't see any mention about the marquee itself.
Knowing what a big part of the identity of the theatre and the fact that that's one of the primary marketing of events of the City, need to make sure to deal with the marquee.
2. Operational debt - would a successful capital campaign mitigate debit obligations for operations, if the capital campaign was specific for operational costs?
3. If the $3M gap is soft costs vs construction costs, is the EDA grant still affected? If the EDA is only concerned with construction costs, can we skirt around that deadline issue?
4. I did hear in the presentation that one of the obligations for any future operator...'m totally aware and my disclosure that being treasurer for the GVPAC, I'm totally aware that it has to be publicly noticed. One of the things I did want to point out was that any future operator needed to have an advisory committee. The GVPAC is fully committed to and has already started creating an advisory committee.
5. There were questions by the audience about rental costs? GVPAC has created some forecasting.../ don't have those numbers, but those numbers can be provided to Council.
6. When people talk about economic development and that the Royal Theatre will help, absolutely, without a doubt, I know it will help. It's one of the things the GBA since its inception when CM Robles was its president is focusing on is economic development for the City. It's also important to know that there's no silver bullet. There's nothing that's going to turn the economics of this town around just because it's there. There must be long-range planning...integration and cooperation between a multitude of businesses. It's June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 8 of 14 just not a theatre. There are real estate concerns, availability of retail space, and all sorts of things that have to be talked about. This is a much wider discussion. I did want to emphasize that the GBA stands committed to work with the City on these long-range economic development plans. Thank you.
Melanie Becker: I'm a resident of Guadalupe. I echo what Al, Melissa, Garret and Mireya have all been saying. The design is gorgeous. I had a great high school. I had great art training..it gave me confidence and changed my life. It helped in so many ways. I'm fully behind this project. There's one problem here - the communication that we have going, and / guess we need to figure it out. If back in April 2023, there was an estimate, and it rose to $13.8M, why didn't we know? Why didn't GBA know? Why didn't the rest of us know because we have other access to get money? I heard about it in March 2024. And I don't understand this miscommunication. It took a year for the consultants to find out that you can't get those new market tax credits. That doesn't make sense to me. I think this is all great. We gotta do what we gotta do. Keep it going to make sure it happens...a bond, or whatever.
Communication is bad, and we need checks and balances.
Jose Nichols: I just want to say a few words about an investment in our community. In 1972, I started with the Guadalupe School District. Believe it or not, the school administration prided itself in sending money back to Sacramento. Money was for underachieving students. Luckily, that changed. Not only were other things going wrong with the school district, it took 20 years, maybe more, to turn that around. And, yes, I remember Mr. Beligmeyer. This class was my class. I taught third year bilingual here. It's an investment as I mentioned at the last council meeting. We can't afford not to take this opportunity to make this community continue thriving because it's already thriving. Thanks to Los Amigos de Guadalupe... thanks to all the other organizations that contributed
This is a personal look. Both of our sons went to this school. I was their principal. One went to Berklee College of Music, majored in songwriting. He's now here in Santa Maria working remotely in Boston at Berklee College of Music. Our other son is a construction manager working for the school districts up and down the coast. There are other examples of individuals who have gone to school../ talked to a parent the other day whose daughter is going to be a heart surgeon in San Jose. Her last name is Zepeda.
I just want to leave that with you. It's an investment. Yes, it's a hardship, sometimes, for some folks to make. But in the long run things will prevail, and we'll have this town and the future that we want. Thank you.
Deek Segovia: I don't live in town anymore, but Guadalupe's in my blood. It's in there... you can't remove it. I always hear that there's nothing to do here in Guadalupe. And here we have an opportunity to do something. All these people who are saying that there's nothing to do...especially, we have new homes here, and they're finding there's nothing to do. Well, look at this. Here's something to do. We need to invest in our youth. Guadalupe's always known for its superior athletes, superior... just like Jose was just saying. There are people in town who June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 9 of 14 are overlooked oftentimes. This is a Hispanic community, and most times it's said that Hispanics are going nowhere. But these kinds of things open the door for these Hispanic young people to experience something that is happening out in the world. And they can do it right here in Guadalupe. If I lived here, I'd be in favor of it. Thank you.
Steve Herring: I live here in town and work here in town. Do we have an estimated operating costs? We talk about rentals and talk about an operator. Do we have any operators expressing interest? Are these real people that exist? Does an operator want it? Do we have income statements from these types of projects? Getting it built is one thing. Making a profit month after month after month, in time, I know not immediately, does it pencil? Do we have any figures of operational success? (Mayor Julian said, "I don't think we're at that point.
There's one group that is interested, so far. We haven't put out the word for others...") Mr.
Herring continued../ was gathering that. It seems to me that that would be vital unanswered questions.
At this point, Mira Beyeler added, "No numbers to share. We've run numbers and projections of what first 3-5 years would look like. GVPAC has a board that's actively running. We have projected what the first 3-5 years would look like. It's important, not just for GVPAC, but for any potential operator that might come in that communication is so very important. If it's a requirement of any funding source by early next year that process has run its course, I think the types of conversations of what the City is expecting is important to have that information out there sooner rather than later. Everyone's going to need that information in order to be successful. Giving every non-profit and every potential operator the facts improves the chances of long-term sustainability, resilience and success. That's a really key critical piece that's been missing so far. And I want to express the crucialness of having those conversations be sooner rather than later for everybody, so we can get what's really needed to have this be for the next 30, 40, 50, 100 years in the future for whoever comes in so that everyone has an opportunity to experience what these amazing plans have to offer." Mr. Herring continued...If profitable, where will the funds go? To the operator or will there be some payback to the City for all of our investment to build the place? (Mr. Brandeberry said, "You have quite a few questions and I have some answers. Yes, there was an initial relationship between the City and GVPAC. There have been conversations whether this should be a more competitive process open to other non-profits. In answer to some of your questions, the City is in the middle of writing an RFP which will be called something like a lease/management agreement where the agreement between the non-profit and the City will outline a lot of these things. The RFP will have questions in it, and I don't want to say what those questions are, but there will be questions asking about the things you're asking about.
The long-term sustainability of the theatre does depend on the non-profit operating the theatre. It also depends on the City's ability to supervisor that non-profit and their work. The RFP and the lease/management agreement will cover all of those bases." (Mr. Brandeberry continued..."Anytime you build a new building or renovate a building, it's always important to have what's called "reserves". Capital, maintenance and operating June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 10 of 14 reserves are all needed for funding to get project up and going. There'll be an agreement set that says that reserves stay there, that operational reserves stay there for the purpose of future things. You're absolutely right that those things are not there now. The goal here is to have that agreement and the operator done before construction starts. We believe that the operator should be there when constructions starts and be part of the construction team.
That is the plan. If the RFP and the management agreement all get done, the management agreement has to go to Council for approval. You'll be able to see that management agreement when Council gets it.")
Mr. Herring continued...Who knows? What's the bottom-line? Will it be profitable? (Mr.
Brandeberry said, "And that's why we think the operator, one of the questions the operator should answer those questions, not the Cit.")
Mr. Herring continued... We just should know before we build, you know. (Mr. Brandeberry said, "Well, yes and no. Most performing arts centers are built by the operator, by the non- profit performing arts center. In those situations, you're absolutely right. They do have that information but this is being built by the City...so, it's slightly different for that reason. Well, we should have that information. It's just not coming as fast as we all want.") Arnulfo Navarro: I live here in Guadalupe. It seems to me that the bond's the most logical, because we're going to get everything we want...but the community will want blood. This is going to have to pay off for us. We're expecting much because we're paying for it pretty much. Not in reality but that's like the feel it's gonna get. Whoever the operator is, / want to say, should be local, enough to know this town. All the programming.../ don't know the woman who talked about the Japanese programming, the Filipino programming, the Mexican programming, that all has to be incorporated. The culture has to grow. It has to come from someone who knows the culture. Otherwise, we're going to feel like an outsider in our own place. Maybe a possible offset would be that you have a Guadalupe resident on your ID...it's free for a movie one night a week. Little things like that that come from the operator feel good. Okay, I'm being taken care of. You want to see results come from a meaningful place. It is a nice design but, I will say, the outdoor amphitheater isn't really...it's cold and windy. It's not ideal for outdoor performances. It's nice on paper, but, in reality, I don't think it's going to get the use we like it to be. That's just my opinion. Thank you.
Deborah Sykes: I'm also a singer, songwriter and recording artist. I just want to reiterate the joy and influence that theatre and music had in my life. Another thing and I hope this is appropriate..I'm a graphic designer. Any of the non-profits helping with this project, or otherwise, I'm available to do, fliers, mailers, banners, anything like that. If you're interested, let me know.
Jeannie Mello: I want to go back to the lack of communication here. It's just a sorry little mess because Tom and I have gone around and around on Facebook. He's saying that information was available way back when. I can't get him to understand that we didn't get the information. I figure if we can get a damn flyer out in the mail, we can get information out in June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 11 of 14 an email to the residents what's happening here. I don't drive north very often so I don't see the Royal Theatre marquee. It's ridiculous for people to use that as a form of communication.
I think there should be a master email list. Maybe there is.../ would assume there is. And that's how people should receive their communication.
Mayor Julian asked City Attorney Sinco if he had any questions or comments. He did not. The mayor then asked CM Furness the same. She said, "I just want to thank everyone for coming out with very good information that was shared from the community and everyone who's been working on the project. This has been helpful to me coming into the Council just a couple of months ago. Thanks for catching me up and thank you for being here." The mayor added, "I think one comment regarding communication is very important. From the get-go, we need to make sure it's included on our agenda...that we talk about updates on what's going on with the theatre. I appreciate the comments from the gentleman here. If you can actually do a recap of the narrative and questions that were asked so we can respond to the community and public.
Stephanie Krouse: If tonight you vote to move forward with the bond...if it becomes the next cycle of voting.... Mayor Julian interjected saying, "It's not tonight.") Ms. Krouse continued...right, if it comes on the ballot, and if residents vote 'No', what happens? (Mayor Julian said, "It was mentioned that there are different avenues. / mentioned this before. There's a toolbox that has tools in it. One of them is the bond. If that doesn't work because you need a screwdriver as opposed to a wrench, then you look at another tool box. We have a lot of individual farmers who may want to kick in. You have the Japanese community...the Latino community...Chumash. All these different avenues that we can look at. I want to thank Andrew for being here to show the specifics of what's going on.
It's correct that a lot of people haven't seen this. They will from now on. There are more avenues than just the bond. It's going to be a battle to have two-thirds of the community to support that. So, I think we need to use that other toolbox to see what other menu we do have out there to go after for initial funding.")
Ms. Krouse continued...Also, whatever communications there are can be put in Spanish, as well. I'm worried that we're missing a whole group of people who are typically at work most of the day. And they missed all of this information. What comes across, which I think has been wonderful information and it great to hear about, but if it's not in the language that most people are speaking, it's not really available to them.
Mayor Julian emphasized that the City cannot be involved in pushing the bond measure as there are restrictions. It has to come from volunteers to move it forward.
Shirley Boydstun: I think the bond issue is going to be the biggest issue here. I don't know if any of you have seen the handout that came from the Santa Maria School District. As of now, there will be $194M going on the November ballot. Our $3M will be peanuts according to that. You need to factor all of that in. Every bond issue that goes in there has an amount that June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 12 of 14 everybody's going to pay for 30 years. Renters are not home free...landlords will have to pay a big chunk, and, believe me, it'll be parceled out to every renter. Everybody has to think very carefully on this and how it will impact. It's a lovely project. In our lifetimes, we have "wants", and we have "needs". To me, the lovely Royal Theatre is a "want". A "need" is going to be getting that sewer plant going quickly, and that is something all of us can support. Thank you.
Melissa Chavez: I wanted to add a postscript to my growing up here. On Facebook, I posted something on 8/17/2017, long before any of this was discussed. I looked at some pictures that Al Ramos put up of school class pictures. What I saw in black and white was a melting pot. I get stoked, and I get moved when I read my post. It shows up every year. It's real to me.
Let me read this part that I posted: "The photographic collection of Guadalupe School District's students is representative of..look at us...we're a melting pot...Japanese, Swiss- Italians, Chinese, Portuguese, Filipino, Mexican, Spanish, African American, European cultures and more. We're Guadalupe. We're generations who stuck together through thick and thin, who endured internment camps, whose sons went off to war, whose families toiled the soil, and who stood shoulder-to-shoulder in times of national racial divide. We're from Guadalupe..."
When I look at the folks that built this town, who persevered through the Great Depression, through two (2) recessions, through COVID, four (4) years and some folks didn't survive, when I think of all that we've overcome... people who pick our crops everyday just to get through another day and come home, I think we can do this. I think we can hang tough like our forefathers and mothers did. We've got the goods right here. I'm a half-full kinda gal. I see the cup rising to the top and spilling over. I think we all want the same thing. We can all do it.
It's been proven time and time again. And I think we can do it again if we want to.
Mayor Julian said, "Thank you all for being here. Again, when it comes to communication, everybody needs to be more cognizant of what we need to do, and let people know what's going on." The mayor asked if Mr. Brandeberry and/or Mr. Goodwin had anything further to add. Neither had additional comments.
3. ADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by Council Member Hernandez and seconded by Council Member Robles to adjourn the meeting. 4-0 Absent: 1 Costa, Jr. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 13 of 14 Prepared by: Approved by:
Ariston Julian, Mayor
June 18, 2024 City of Guadalupe Council Meeting Minutes Page 14 of 14