I haven't gone away.

I just want to quickly assure people that this blog hasn't gone away. After the auction, it made sense to take a bit of a break, and I went on vacation too.

I'm back, and doing research into non-profit theatre models all over the country. What I'm finding out is that, as we knew already, the city's steering committee recommendation that said The Senator can't be a non-profit was absolutely wrong. It not only CAN be, it really HAS to be if the building is going to be restored and maintained to the degree that it should be in the near future.

CAN'T vs. HAS TO. That's a big difference, and one that I'll be exploring soon.

I'll be discussing models for historic theatres throughout the country and more. Stay tuned.

City's Steering Committee Needs Designated Driver

As Tom Harris has pointed out at the Friends of The Senator Theatre blog, Baltimore City's secretive steering committee has made their recommendation, and they say The Senator can't be run as a non-profit. This is nonsensical, because historic theatres all over the country are being successfully run as non-profits. It looks like the steering committee needs a designated driver, because whatever they're drinking is impairing their judgement.

The only reason that Baltimore can't do the same as other cities have done is because Baltimore City is not willing to buy the time to figure out a feasible plan by stopping the foreclosure auction on The Senator.

By the way, did anyone else listening to Dan Rodricks' show on WYPR just now catch the fact that Rodricks and Deputy Mayor Andy Frank sprang the steering committee's recommendation on Tom Kiefaber while he was on the air and had not had a chance to read the recommendation?!!! Does that seem unfair to anyone else?! Smalltimore: The Home of Dirty Pool.

UPDATE: Also please note that this recommendation by the steering committee gives the city its long-anticipated excuse to back out of the "deal" with Tom Kiefaber, since one of the many conditions the "offer" was based on was the steering committee's recommendation that The Senator could be run as a non-profit.

Baltimore's Senator Theatre to Close

This press release just showed up on PR Newswire. Sad day. Please note the time change for the upcoming town hall at The Senator, which will now be held on Monday, March 16th at 7:00 PM.

Baltimore's Senator Theatre to Close


HISTORIC LANDMARK HEADED TO AUCTION AND UNCERTAIN FUTURE

BALTIMORE, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The historic Senator Theatre has been pursuing a transition to community-based ownership, but debt and operational deficits are threatening to derail the plan. The theatre's mortgage is in default and analysis of current cash flow indicates that closure and an auction sale are imminent.


"We just received notice that accelerated foreclosure is proceeding, said Senator owner Tom Kiefaber. "It's alarming to be in such a precarious position at this critical point when so many people who appreciate The Senator want it to remain in operation through this transition to a community-owned resource."


Results from recent round table discussions, online forums and town meetings demonstrated strong support among Baltimore's business and residential communities for the theatre to remain open as ownership transitions from Kiefaber to a new non-profit, community owned entity. Historic theatres nationwide have undergone non-profit conversion to expand educational and entertainment programming and ensure their preservation.


In response to Kiefaber's advocacy of community ownership of The Senator, leaders from across Baltimore recently formed The Senator Community Trust. The non-profit entity plans to commence raising funds to purchase the theatre in its mission "to preserve, protect and restore Baltimore's cherished landmark, the historic Senator Theatre."


A town hall meeting will be held at The Senator on Monday, March 16th at 7pm.


Kiefaber has agreed to a request from The Senator Community Trust to make the theatre available for the town meeting as an open forum to provide the public with the facts and discuss how this situation is likely to affect The Senator and the extended community. The Trust has invited city and state officials and members of the city's ad hoc Senator Steering Committee. All concerned are welcome and encouraged to attend.


A recent public offer by Mayor Dixon's office to Kiefaber is intended to reduce the theatre's debt and facilitate The Senator's conversion to non-profit ownership as a proviso of the deal. "I have notified the city of my acceptance of their offer, but the details are yet to be resolved. It's an involved process that's being pressured by the foreclosure timeline," Kiefaber said.


Sean Brescia of Clearpath Management, who has been working to demonstrate the viability of multi-purpose uses for the theatre and helping coordinate efforts among the various parties, said, "These scenarios take time to develop properly and no one, including the city, is going to have the chance to identify the most viable opportunities ahead if the outcome is forced by foreclosure."


There has been much public speculation regarding the city's offer to Kiefaber, which is conditioned on the city's determination that a non-profit Senator Theatre is sustainable. In an apparent contradiction of the stated terms of the offer, that pivotal decision may have been made already.


According to a member of the city's Senator Theatre steering committee, "We have looked at many examples for a nonprofit and not one of them exists without considerable subsidy. That is not possible in today's environment." In reference to the newly formed Senator Community Trust, the representative added, "If the Trust wishes an active role, they should begin raising the several hundred thousand [dollars] required to bid at auction. There are likely to be excellent and well-financed bidders there and it's my guess that is likely to be where we are in a few short weeks."


"I don't presume to speak to the city's intentions," Brescia added, "They need to speak for themselves. There seems to be a lot of confusion about their perspective and the participation of city officials at Monday's town meeting would greatly benefit public understanding of the situation. In any case, the theatre is headed rapidly to auction. It's now up to people to make their voices heard and ask the city to follow through on their offer if the community wants to have any say in the Senator's uncertain future."


Contact:
Clearpath Management Senator Management
866.944.4409 x1 410.435.3583
info@clearpathmanagement.com info@senator.com





SOURCE Clearpath Management

Interesting Exchange Between Bill Henry and Tom Kiefaber

Last night, I attended a meeting of the York Road Partnership, a local community group, because I understood The Senator Theatre was going to be on the agenda.

As the meeting was wrapping up and The Senator had not yet been discussed, Tom Kiefaber raised his hand during the announcements part of the meeting. He announced that there was an enhanced learning event going on at The Senator this morning at 10:15-11:30.

Tom then asked what happens if the city’s steering committee decides The Senator cannot go forward as a non-profit.

Bill said the Mayor would have to determine if it can go forward as a non-profit at that point. He added that he hasn’t been part of any discussion over what happens if it can’t go forward as a non-profit.

That was the extent of the discussion in front of the entire meeting.

The conversation about The Senator later continued outside. It was witnessed by myself, another concerned neighbor, and Adam Bednar of The Messenger (it will be interesting to see what he might write about it).

The conversation was mostly between Tom Kiefaber and Bill Henry. Tom was very clear that he has accepted the city’s offer and is willing to work to iron out the details. He was pressing Bill to explain how the city is going to hand The Senator over to a non-profit and how they are going to determine what non-profit.

Bill stated the steering committee is really just crunching numbers to see if it CAN become a non-profit, and looking at the numbers for various plans that have been submitted to them by interested parties. They are NOT determining how The Senator will be run in the future.

I observed that if the city is going to pay off part of Kiefaber’s loan and then take over The Senator, but the city has not yet determined at that point what to do with it, obviously The Senator is going to close for a while. Bill did not deny that. In fact, he has admitted it publicly and on the record before this.

I also learned other interesting things from what Bill was saying:

The city is most likely going to allow The Senator to go to a foreclosure auction to “clear the debt.” (As Tom Kiefaber pointed out, this does not clear the debt from his perspective, because he will still owe it.) The Senator will therefore be sold to the highest bidder unless this foreclosure is stopped.

The Senator might not be a movie theatre in the future. Various proposals have been presented. It sounds like there is no guarantee it will be any kind of public theatre at all.

Bill reiterated that the steering committee is not going to take public input.

The city is in a position to potentially determine the fate of The Senator only because they guaranteed a loan to The Senator with public funds. To refuse to take public input on something that involves the use of taxpayer money is inexcusable, in my opinion.

New Senator Community Trust Seeking Broad Community Involvement

What follows is an email message and press release I just received from Laura Thul Penza, on the Board of the Senator Community Trust and President of the Govanstowne Business Association:

Dear Neighbors, Businesses and Friends,

Please forward - help communicate with all who are interested in the fate of The Senator Theatre by forwarding this to your organization members, posting on your listserves or websites, sharing information at meetings, etc.

We have been informed by The City’s Steering Committee that The Senator Theatre is in imminent danger of going to auction and an uncertain future - within the next few weeks!

It is extremely important that everyone understands the gravity of the situation at The Senator, the last remaining single-screen in Baltimore! Although the City’s interest is not quite aligned with the community efforts, The SCT is working towards bridging the gap and hoping to convince the Steering Committee that keeping the doors open will be in the best interest of all.

The Senator Community Trust, LLC (SCT) has organized and is in the process of applying for non-profit status to begin long-term sustainable funding efforts, however a foreclosure action that might occur that quickly does not allow enough time for effective positive action.

Unless we organize immediately to raise the funds to intercede and stop the foreclosure, we will lose our ability to have any influence on the future of The Senator and its place in our community. Look for more details on this emergency fundraising campaign in a release to come out in the next couple days.

In the meantime, consider seeing a movie this weekend at The Senator or Rotunda – bring family, friends and co-workers. Your patronage does help keep the doors open!

For additional information, please take a look:

The Daily Record (Friday, February 27) Liz Farmer has written an informative article about the Senator Theatre situation: http://www.mddailyrecord.com/article.cfm?id=10848&type=UTTM

Also, various Friends of The Senator groups have formed, which publish updated information. These groups are working in coordination with one another and with The Senator Community Trust Board, and are described below.

Friends of The Senator Facebook Grouphttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39720373765; e-mail: friendsofthesenator@live.com

Friends of The Senator Website http://friendsofthesenatortheatre.wordpress.com/.

Friends of The Senator Google Grouphttp://groups.google.com/group/friends-of-the-senator-theatre

AstroGirl's Galaxy GuideLaura Serena has a blog which contain MUCH useful information and links: http://astrogirlguides.blogspot.com/

The Senator Community Trust, LLC has been formed and is reaching out to all those interested in keeping the doors open during The Senator’s transition to become the premier community-based arts, education and entertainment venue in the region.

Thanks for your interest...please let us know if you have questions or if you care to get involved!
Attached is another press releases from The Senator Community Trust, and is also printed here for those unable to open or forward pdfs:

*********************FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE************************
New Senator Community Trust Seeking Broad Community Involvement

Upcoming town hall meeting will involve broader community in efforts to acquire Baltimore’s beloved Senator Theatre.

Baltimore, Maryland March 4, 2009 -- The new Senator Community Trust (SCT) announced today a public town hall meeting, scheduled for Saturday, March 14 at 1:00 PM at The Senator Theatre, 5904 York Road, Baltimore, Maryland. The SCT will seek input on options for future structures and uses for the theatre, and outline a plan for community-based acquisition of The Senator.

Members of the community who are working closely with current Senator management and city officials to try to stabilize and facilitate a smooth transition for the theatre will be on hand to discuss the varied film, music, arts, and educational uses that may become part of The Senator’s programming schedule in the near future. Many of these uses have already been demonstrated in recent events at The Senator.

The SCT plans to present an overview of the current financial picture, and announce the first phase of its capital campaign to raise money to stabilize The Senator’s immediate financial crisis and stop the impending foreclosure and auction.

“The Senator’s immediate financial crisis is very real. Unless the broader Senator community takes action now to raise money and bring the mortgage current, we are going to lose this landmark to auction and an uncertain future in the coming weeks,” said Sean Brescia who has been working to try to raise awareness for the urgency of the situation. “This is bigger than any one neighborhood. This is a city, state and even national icon, and we’re all stakeholders with an interest in The Senator’s future. It’s time to act on that.”

The formation of the Senator Community Trust and its vision are based on extensive feedback during a series of public meetings that began in early 2008. All interested members of the public and media are welcome and encouraged to attend. Representatives from city and state government and local foundations will also be invited.

About The Senator Community Trust LLC: To foster the vision of the Senator Theatre as a community-based non-profit organization, a group of local community and business leaders has organized The Senator Community Trust, LLC. The Senator Community Trust has as its mission the preservation, protection, and restoration of Baltimore’s cherished landmark, the historic Senator Theatre. The Senator Community Trust is working with theatre management toward community ownership of the theatre building.

Contact: Sherry Holland-Senter The Senator Community Trust, LLC senatorcommunitytrust@gmail.com

PDF Version

Thanks for your attention to this matter!

Laura

Capricious Gods of the Senator’s Fate

Sarcasm is the last refuge of the frustrated citizen, and I’m afraid after a bit of up-front apology, this may devolve into a sarcastic post. I hope my friend and City Councilman Bill Henry will forgive me for my frustration, but it seems we differ, which I believe he already knows. Bill, if you’re reading this, it’s nothing personal. I know your job isn’t easy.

I gather that the fate of the Senator Theatre is already being decided behind closed doors by a mysterious steering committee, without seeking direct public input at this time. I understand they’ll seek public input after the future non-profit is formed, if that is the outcome. That outcome may not be guaranteed.

Bill Henry assures me that it is his job to represent all the various stakeholders in the 4th district, and that he cares deeply about the outcome not just as a councilman, but as a resident. I’m sure that’s true. He also assures me the unknown (to me, at least) members of the steering committee have the best interests of the community in mind. I guess we simply differ on the level of public involvement that should be there from the start.

Sometimes, you just have to trust the capricious gods of fate. I have little more to say at this time about the unknown future of the Senator, which may or may not be being decided right now by an unnamed committee in an undisclosed location. After all, without public meetings, I have limited information.

There are approximately four things I think I know for sure, though the situation is evolving:

1. Our intrepid City Councilman is on the case.


2. Some of the people I personally would consider key stakeholders, including leaders of some of the nearby neighborhood associations and the Senator’s devoted advocate and current owner, Tom Kiefaber, have apparently not been invited to be on the committee. (I suspected this last part, and Bill confirmed it.)


3. The public hasn’t been asked to give input, although we can certainly give indirect input through our city officials.


4. Whatever organization evolves from this, their mission, whatever it is exactly, won’t be easy. It’s abundantly clear there are huge challenges to making the Senator self-supporting.

Maybe I’ll just let the Senator speak for itself now.













The wise words of the Grateful Dead come to mind:

Abraham and Isaac sitting on a fence,
You’d get right to work if you had any sense,
You know the one thing we need is a left hand monkey wrench.

But then, I never knew quite what that meant. Something about the cruel whims of capricious gods, no doubt.

Thank you, Tom, for all your sacrifices and hard work.

11th hour angels, now is your cue. Frank Capra, if you’re sitting up there by God’s right or left hand, make this a good one.