By PATRICK ADRIAN
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BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. — A new committee will be established to update polices and pricing for the Bellows Falls Opera House following recent action by the Rockingham Selectboard.
The board approved the committee during its Tuesday meeting.
Charlie Hunter, who served on the last opera house committee, said the committee has not met in five years.
Periodic reviews are undertaken to keep the venue’s programs and operating structure aligned with changing demands and needs.
Hunter provided the board a list of recommended questions for the committee to address.
Topics include audience demand, current revenue streams, operating costs and efficiency, partnership opportunities and the opera house’s role in the local economy.
Since its renovation in 2007, the opera house has operated primarily as a movie theater showing first and second run films. The theater draws families and moviegoers around the region. In addition to its large screen, 550 seats and grand historic architecture, patrons find its prices unbeatable. Tickets, even for new releases like The Last Jedi and The Black Panther, cost only $5. Another $5 will cover the cost for a small popcorn, beverage and box of candy.
Those prices also factor into the venue operating at an annual deficit.
One question the new committee will have to consider is how to address the operating deficit. According to town audit reports, the theater’s annual operating costs — $402,000 in 2016, $342,000 in 2015 — are thousands of dollars more than its events generate in sales.
While the theater has other revenue sources like private trusts and donations, Selectboard Chair Susan Hammond said that the town still subsidizes the opera house through an enterprise fund in the general budget. The amount used is to erase any remaining deficit. In 2016 that subsidy was about $18,500 and in 2015 was $31,000.
This is not necessarily a problem, said Hammond, just an example of the questions the committee will need to explore. They could focus on how to fix the problem or choose to accept the subsidy as a worthwhile investment in community youth and families.
Hunter, whose event contributions to the theater include The Roots to River Festival, Dar Williams and the Cowboy Junkies, said that determining the right balance of types of events is another task for the committee.
Some people might want to see more concerts or plays in the mix, Hunter said, but that may cut back the number of new release films the theater will be able to provide.
That said, Hunter strongly recommended to the board that this opera house committee have no direct involvement in selecting events.
“It’s cleaner to not have people on the committee who have a vested interest,” said Hunter.
The board decided on 7 seats and approved the following people to serve: Hunter, Jan Sheehy, Sandy Martin, Shell Saurer, Martha Rowley, Thomasina Coates and Deborah Wright. The committee will provide further details at the next selectboard meeting.
In related action the board approve the recommendation from the town auditor to reclassify the opera house fund from “enterprise” to a “special revenue.” While having no affect on how the opera house operates, this will include the theater under the town’s general budget, effective July 1.
To date, the opera house’s budget has been separate because it was classified as a self-funding enterprise. Unlike other departments, the only document that provides the opera house’s financial information is the annual audit report. By reclassifying it the board will have a better access to the theater budget.
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