By Charlene Tebbutt

Council gives support for Rawlinson Centre upgrades

Sep 24, 2018 | 10:12 AM

The E.A. Rawlinson Centre will see some technical upgrades after city councillors gave their early approval to just over $100,000 in funding for the facility.

Councillors showed unanimous support for the upgrades at their executive committee meeting last week. The funding includes $70,000 for a new lighting system for the facility and $35,000 for a new sound system.

The funding would come from the E.A. Rawlinson Centre Facility Fee Reserve, and is expected to be formally approved at the next public council meeting Oct. 1.

Roxanne Dicke, general manager with the E.A. Rawlinson Centre, told council the current system is obsolete and needs to be upgraded in order to attract professional acts to Prince Albert and provide a better quality experience for ticket holders.

“We need to be proactive and we need to make sure we’re planning for the replacements,” Dicke told council.

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Also new at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre is the addition of two new positions: a marketing and event coordinator and a production manager. However, some councillors questioned the need for a marketing and events coordinator, including Ward 8 Coun. Ted Zurakowski, who said the city staff have already declined having too much sponsorship around the facility.

“We recently had a report, Mr. Chairman, about selling the stairs, selling the doors, sponsorship all over the place, the urinals, and the city said ‘No, thank you,’” Zurakowski said. “And the city hired a marketing and events sponsorship coordinator?”

Jody Boulet, director of community services with the city, told council that the position is necessary to secure top-level acts and deal with multiple promoters, maintain a professional website and provide a better ticketing system and information to the public. Boulet said the position is quite “all-inclusive” and the marketing and events coordinator will also be able to help out on event days to alleviate some of the overtime costs for staff who end up working longer hours.

Mayor Greg Dionne said he supports the additional position, saying the E.A. Rawlinson Centre has suffered without a permanent coordinator in the promotions role.

“You’re selling really a building, a philosophy of arts in the community,” Dionne added. “I’m so pleased to see that they’ve put that person back.”

Dicke also proposed a 15 per cent fee increase for commercial acts coming to Prince Albert. Council will review the proposed fee hike as part of its upcoming budget deliberations.

Dicke said the rate for local community groups using the facility would not go up.

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt