UWFox Theatre Construction Project FAQ
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UW-Fox Theatre Construction Project "Frequently Asked Questions"
What is Winnebago County's role with UW-Fox Valley?
- What are the funding sources for UW-Fox Valley?
- Facilities (bricks and mortar): Outagamie and Winnebago Counties
- Building maintenance materials: Outagamie and Winnebago Counties
- Moveable equipment (chairs, desks, computers, e.g.): State of Wisconsin
- Personnel: State of Wisconsin
- Annual counties’ budget: $203,611 (Winnebago County share: $101,805)
- Annual State budget: $3,152,712
- Why do the counties pay for this particular UW campus?
- By agreement with the University of Wisconsin System, the local municipalities own the facilities of the 13 two-year campuses of the UW Colleges
- This is authorized by State Statute 66.51(1)(a)
What are the student demographics of UW-Fox Valley?
- How many students are enrolled?
- During academic year 1999-2000, 2899 students (plus about 400 students in the summer)
- UW-Fox Valley is the second largest UW Colleges campus (second to UW-Waukesha)
- From where do the UW-Fox Valley students come?
- From throughout Wisconsin, with the large majority from northeastern Wisconsin
- A small number of out-of-state and foreign students
- How many students come from Winnebago County?
- During academic year 1999-2000, 803 students
- This is 95% of all Winnebago County students attending a UW Colleges campus
- This is 28% of the UW-Valley students
- How many students come from Outagamie and Calumet Counties?
- During academic year 1999-2000, 1493 (Outagamie; 52%) and 249 (Calumet; 9%) students
- Why should Winnebago County pay the same as Outagamie County, when more
students come from Outagamie County?
- Outagamie and Winnebago Counties agreed to share equally in their funding of the campus
- Why doesn't Calumet County - or other counties that send students to
UW-Fox Valley, for that matter - make a financial contribution to UW-Fox
Valley?
- The agreement to place a UW Colleges campus in Winnebago County did not include Calumet County
Why should a two-year campus like UW-Fox Valley have a theatre program?
- Theatre is part of the general education, liberal arts curriculum present at all UW two-year and four-year campuses
- Students who will transfer to four-year campuses enroll in freshman/sophomore theatre courses, just like they enroll in freshman/sophomore courses in business or biology, regardless of their intended academic major
Why is there a need to improve the current theatre facilities?
- What use is made of the existing theatre?
- Theatre classes – acting, stage management, lighting, stage design, costuming, makeup, theatre management
- Campus drama productions - 3-4 per year
- Campus music
- Band concerts (four concert band per year + two jazz band)
- Choral performances (two per year)
- Lectures – variable number each year
- Public Forums – variable number per year
- Outside theatrical groups - Attic Theatre, Friends of Riverside, Big Valley Productions, Valley Theatre, Light Theatre, American Folklore Theatre, Mainstage Productions
- Outside community groups
- Candidate forums/debates; League of Women Voters; Fox Valley India Association
- Neenah-Menasha YMCA
- How many UW-Fox Valley students presently use the existing theatre?
- 199 students enrolled in theatre arts, concert band, and choral courses in Spring 2000 and Fall 2000 (the number could increase slightly as registration is continuing) plus student audiences
- How busy is the existing theatre?
- In Spring 2000, the theatre was being used on 85% of the days available from January through May.
- What's wrong with the existing theatre?
- American Disabilities Act problems
- o No access to control booth (lighting and sound control), dressing rooms, makeup rooms, costume storage
- o No access to the stage
- OSHA deficiencies
- PCB-filled electronic equipment
- No acceptable and safe means for getting heavy equipment on the stage
- HVAC equipment is out of date – does not comply with current requirements
- Programmatic deficiencies
- Inadequate wing space (area to side of stage that holds actors waiting to come on scene)
- No fly space (area above stage where scenery and curtains reside)
- Lighting controls are obsolete; manufacturer no longer in business
- Stage is too small for our musical performances
- Cinderblock construction – hard surface causes acoustical problems
- Seating is on folding chairs on plywood risers, not theatre seats
- No orchestra pit
- No office for theatre manager
- American Disabilities Act problems
- Why can't UW-Fox Valley use other theatre facilities in the community:
high schools, community theatres, etc.?
- While theatre classes have a set meeting schedule, theatre work goes on between classes and in the evening
- Students are taking other classes; they could not effectively participate in other classes if they had to run to off-site locations to rehearse, do set construction; etc.
- We don’t have funds in our operating budget to rent additional space
- Outside space is not available when we need it
- What's the urgency about getting the theatre started when you ask? What's
critical about the timing that you've outlined?
- We have been planning for several years, beginning with the assumption in 1998 that we would be constructing a new theatre
- The State’s contribution to the project (about $1 million) is in the plans for the 2003-2005 biennium
What's the history of this project?
- The project has been in the campus Master Plan since in 1989
- The project was in the Winnebago County CIP in 1998
- The project was removed from the CIP in 1999
- The project is in the UW System’s long range capital equipment plan for 2003-2005
What's the cost of a new or renovated theater for UW-Fox Valley?
- How much will this project cost the Winnebago County taxpayers?
- Estimates for a 400 seat theatre based on a cost/square foot = $3.5 million
- How will you determine the cost?
- We would like to hire an engineering firm to determine:
- o Options (renovation or replacement) for resolving of the deficiencies
- o The cost of the options
- We would like to hire an engineering firm to determine:
- What will this financial cost mean to the taxpayers of Winnebago County?
- According to Winnebago County Finance Director, $0.02 per $1000 of assessed evaluation, based upon the cost estimate
- Over ten-year bond period, the total would be $20.00 per household
- How much will the requested engineering study cost?
- $50,000 based upon a recent engineering study for the science wing for the campus ($25,000 per county)
- What will this engineering study provide?
- Reviews existing conditions
- Objectively identify deficiencies
- Identify alternate solutions to resolve deficiencies
- Provide cost projections for the solutions
- Who will be involved in the study?
- Campus faculty and staff
- County personnel (supervisors and/or facilities managers)
- How much money is the UW System going to provide for the project (either
the engineering study, or the construction / renovation of the theatre)?
- $974,000 to equip the theatre (“Moveable equipment”)
- How does this theatre project tie into current and future Winnebago County
construction projects?
- If built in 2004, property owners would be assessed $1.45 instead of $1.43 per $1000 of valuation (source: County Executive’s Capital Improvement Plan, July 20, 2000)
- If "we" wait to appropriate funds until some future date, what
will the cost of future dollars (2005-2006-2007-2008, etc.) be vs. 2004
dollars?
- Inflation is running at about 3.5% per year
Posted 9/28/2000