Arts centre renovations prompt debate over tourist booth location

What began as a discussion about renovations to the Kincardine Arts Centre, turned into a debate over the location of the tourist booth, at the Kincardine council meeting Wednesday night (May 20).

In committee-of-the-whole, deputy mayor Jacqueline Faubert said council approved Phases 1 and 2 of the arts centre renovations and agreed to have NA Engineering of Kincardine, complete the design and provide detailed drawings for the work. However, there has been no discussion about whether the renovated arts centre would include a spot for the visitor information centre.

Currently, the Welcome Centre is housed on Queen Street, north of Gordon Pharmasave, along with offices for the Kincardine Business Improvement Area (BIA), the Kincardine and District Chamber of Commerce, and the Penetangore Regional Economic Development Corporation. Kincardine has a three-year lease for that location.

Councillor Randy Roppel said the tourist booth should be located back on Highway 21 where it used to be so tourists can find it.

"I agree," said councillor Maureen Couture. "The information centre should be on Highway 21. It's important to have a presence on the highway."

Councillor Andrew White agreed, saying there could be a self-serve kiosk downtown to meet tourism needs.

Councillor Laura Haight said she believed the downtown location was going to be temporary until the arts centre renovations were completed in a couple of years.

"The downtown site has merit," she said, "especially during the summer months. I thought we had an agreement with the Bluewater Summer Playhouse to provide this service in the summer. But I agree that parking is an issue in the downtown."

She said the original plan was to build a tourist booth on the Russell Street extension, east of Highway 21. If the municipality wants a presence on the highway now, it will still have to rent a location, she said.

Haight suggested council could apply for the 2017 Building Canada Fund heritage building grant for the arts centre project.

Chief administrative officer Murray Clarke said there will be a staff report about that grant, at the next meeting, June 3.

Mayor Anne Eadie said she would like to tear down the old firehall, on the south side of the arts centre, to accommodate the arts groups in that building.

"I thought we heard from the arts groups that there wasn't enough room in th arts centre for a tourist booth," she said. "As for that heritage building grant, I would like to wait for a staff report on it. And as for the tourist information centre, I've always thought we need a presence downtown and on the highway. Could we have a tourism kiosk on the highway, at Sobeys or one of the hotels?"

"The benefit of having the tourist booth downtown is that it's open during the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band Saturday night parades, the Kincardine Scottish Festival, and other major events," said councillor Mike Leggett. "There is a real need for it downtown. We could put proper signage on the highway."

Faubert said the loss of the downtown tourist booth would be tragic for downtown businesses. As for the arts centre, the tenants have already told council there is not enough room for a tourist booth there, she said.

Haight asked Faubert why the loss of the downtown tourist booth would affect businesses. "Tourism is not just about downtown Kincardine. We have the Bruce Power Visitors' Centre, Inverhuron Provincial Park and many more attractions."

"The BIA was integral in getting the downtown location established," said Faubert. "It encourages people to come downtown and do their business downtown. On the highway, people just stopped to use the washroom and then travelled on."

Haight said tourism inquiries have dropped since the tourist booth was moved to the downtown, according to the tourism manager.

"What we're dealing with tonight has nothing to do with highway versus downtown for the tourist booth," said Faubert. "We need to decide if we're putting the information centre in the arts centre."

"I think NA Engineering could be creative and reconfigure some space for a tourism kiosk in the arts centre," said White.

Council was asked if Janice Griffith, event co-ordinator for the Kincardine Scottish Festival, would be allowed to speak. Council agreed.

Griffith said the original drawings for arts centre renovations saw the tourist booth taking up the entire first floor except where the art gallery is located. This displaced the offices for the festival and the Bluewater Summer Playhouse, which did not work, she said.

"The Kincardine Scottish Festival is growing and we need all the space we have and more," said Griffith. "As it stands, we are storing items off-site."

She said the way things are now, the public walks through the theatre's private office to get to the upstairs auditorium which is awkward. A better plan, she said, would be to put the theatre office in the Scougall Gallery and open up the lobby area which would accommodate a tourism kiosk.

"Was the idea not to have the tourist booth selling theatre tickets in the arts centre, as well?" asked Haight.

That was an option, said Clarke. As for the heritage grant, he noted it has a limited scope and less funding available, meaning its focus is on smaller projects, not major ones like the arts centre renovations.

Couture asked for a vote on proceeding with the detailed drawings for the arts centre, with a tourism kiosk included for the summer time; also, for staff to report on the opportunities for the heritage grant; and for a staff report on the potential location of a tourist booth on the highway.

Committee-of-the-whole agreed with getting detailed drawings done for the arts centre renovations with a small space for a tourism kiosk, and a staff report about the heritage grant. However, the tourist booth location will be a discussion for another meeting.

That was later endorsed by council.