BX

6412

9821

Have You Scene Barrie’s Culture?

Arts and Culture is alive and well in Barrie and the City continues its commitment to implementing a plan for culture. City staff has completed the strategic consultation and funds allocation phase of the annual grants program for local artists and organizations, licensed eight street performing acts for the City core and engaged residents in the development of new music arts festivals celebrating rhythm and the City’s love of singing.

As part of addressing the need for cultural infrastructure, the City of Barrie has signed a lease agreement with Georgian College for the Georgian Theatre commonly called the Gryphon Theatre. The process of transitioning the facility’s management from Gryphon Theatre Foundation to the City of Barrie is underway and with the Downtown Theatre moving forward, Barrie performing artists and organizations will soon have more city managed cultural infrastructure in which to present their work than ever before.

Director of Culture Rudi Quammie Williams explains that both the downtown development and the change in management of the Georgian Theatre (Gryphon Theatre) reflect a strategic approach to increasing the resources available to the City’s cultural community as well as improving Gryphon Theatre Foundation’s positioning and sustainability. “We are thankful that Georgian College continues to be good corporate citizens who recognize the importance of its asset to the City’s cultural life. We are equally thankful to the Gryphon Theatre Foundation who through increasingly difficult times managed the Georgian Theatre on behalf of the City and created such effective programming that to residents of the region the theatre was synonymous with the Foundation and eventually bore its name. Our Plan for Culture – Building a Creative Future – calls for the development of diverse cultural infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing culture sector. The Georgian Theatre and its primary user Gryphon Theatre Foundation is an integral part of the City’s development.”

A recent study has shown that after Kempenfest, the Gryphon Theatre Foundation is the most popular culture sector brand in Barrie. The company has also been the primary tenant in the Georgian Theatre for over fifteen years. Gryphon Theatre Foundation plays a significant cultural, economic and strategic role in the Barrie community.

Earlier this year, in keeping with its plan for culture, the City of Barrie signed a lease with Georgian College to manage the Georgian Theatre, an act meant to assist the Gryphon Theatre Foundation as well as improve the facility.

The City, through its Department of Culture will undertake the management of the Georgian Theatre facility to bring it back to optimum standard while providing advice on strategic planning to the Gryphon Theatre Foundation as they enter into a challenging but exciting period of revitalization. The City will assist the Gryphon Theatre Foundation in laying the necessary groundwork to attract qualified Board members, fundraise, increase active support, and rebuild its audience.

Also in maintaining the Georgian Theatre, the City will share human and technical resources with the future Downtown Community Theatre, saving money, time and effort.

Williams is confident that these changes will provide the Gryphon Theatre Foundation with the opportunity to focus on artistic programming that will meet the needs of their audience and bring them future success. “In time, the public and the performers will also experience improved amenities when they are in the Georgian Theatre facility.”

Emergency Detour RoutesThe City of Barrie has recently established six

Emergency Detour Routes (EDR) for Highway 400

through the City. These EDRs will provide guidance

to motorists of the proper and preferred routing

should a section of Highway 400 be closed to traffic.

EDRs are used for short term closures and are not

intended for long-term closures such as those due

to construction.

Permissive Truck RouteThe City of Barrie has established a Permissive Truck Route system in a manner that provides efficient north, south, east and west truck movements across the City to min imize the inter ference of heavy trucks on streets that are not appropriate for their use, i.e. residential areas; thereby, improving the quality of life for the residents. The designated roadways of Permissive Truck Route system are signed by way of directional arrows and heavy truck are prohibited from all other roadways with exception when delivering or picking up cargo from a scheduled destination.

Health Series: DiabetesThursday, April 22 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.Barrie Public Library, Angus Ross Room

Join us as Andre Sikorski, a member of the Canadian Diabetes Association, talks about diabetes prevention, management and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Learn what you can do now to can lessen your chances of developing diabetes. Questions are

welcomed at the close of the presentation.

Portfolio Recovery

Wednesday April 28 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.Barrie Public Library, Angus Ross Room

Keith Richards, author of the book SmartBounce will outline how you can limit risk and maximize gains in today’s market.

This is a free, drop-in session.