Corrections/Clarifications to Anonymous Comment on Forest Theatre

ABSTRACT: An Anonymous comment was posted on Monday, March 17, 2008 on the Post, Forest Theater Foundation Consultant’s Master Plan for the Forest Theatre For correction and clarification purposes, City Council Minutes and excerpts from CRA Newsletter articles are reproduced. COMMENTS are made regarding Mayor Sue McCloud and the Forest Theatre Master Plan.

Anonymous said...
Um...actually the Congleton plan was never approved by any City Council, it was only "received" from a Cultural Commission that was very combative and quite often negative towards the theatre groups. Since the plan was never actually discussed by any city council, the community never got to weigh in on it, and it was never vetted by the community at large. It is my understanding that the current plan incorporates much of the Congleton plan, but goes further in addressing the overall site, including parking, sound, and other issues that the Congleton plan did not fully address.
(March 17, 2008)

City Council Minutes
Regular Meeting
3 April 2001

VII. Announcements from Closed Session, from City Council Members and the City Administrator

D. REPORT ON THE FOREST THEATER MASTER PLAN

Mayor McCloud clarified for the Council and members of the audience that the Council will receive a report only and no action will be taken.

Denny Gambill, Chairman of the Community and Cultural Commission, introduced Brian Congleton, the City’s consultant regarding this matter. Mr. Congleton presented a report regarding the Forest Theater Master Plan and addressed questions of Council. Included in his presentation was an assessment of existing conditions, an analysis of use and impacts, recommended improvements and an estimate of the cost of improvements.

City Administrator Guillen advised the Council and members of the audience that a workshop regarding the City’s Master Plans will be scheduled to determine how the Plans interrelate to the budget.
(Source: Carmel-by-the-Sea California - Official City Website, http://www.ci.carmel.ca.us/)

CRA News November 2007

"A Forest Theater Master Plan, prepared by architect Brian Congleton, was completed in 2001. It was developed under contract with the city with extensive input from user groups, city staff, neighbors and the public at Cultural Commission meetings."
(Source: CRA News November 2007 http://www.carmelresidents.org/News0711.html)

CRA News May 2001
Forest Theater Master Plan Presented to Council

"Architect Brian Congleton made a special presentation to the City Council in April on the Forest Theater Master Plan. Prepared under the direction of the Community and Cultural Commission, the process included many meetings involving users, neighbors and the public. The goal is to make the theater experience better for everyone involved."

"The all-inclusive report has a bottom line of $1,423,000. The Cultural Commission, however, has outlined priorities to be completed first: audience safety with improved pathways and handicapped parking, improved patron and on-stage rest rooms, improved circulation in the theater and tree planting and reforestation."

"One of Congleton's most innovative ideas is to have the audience enter the theater at mid-section rather than through the crowded orchestra pit. The row of seats in front of the stone wall would ultimately be taken out to make room for pedestrian traffic, with the removed seats replaced at row ends. Other improvements include a larger ticket booth, modifications in the Indoor Theater and improved traffic circulation with a drop-off area for passengers and their picnic supplies. Sound and light studies are proposed to deal with noise and glare in the neighborhood."

"Parking and traffic are especially difficult problems with the surrounding narrow, dark streets. The city is removing some parking spaces because safety vehicles cannot get through with cars on both sides of some streets. A possible solution is to implement a shuttle service from Sunset Center or Vista Lobos."

"A major challenge is balancing the increasing impact of the theater on surrounding residents with the needs of the user groups. The increased length of the season, the addition of two movie nights per week, nightly scheduled performances or rehearsals, enhanced amplification and late-night cast parties are a concern. The Cultural Commission voted to cap seating at 540 persons, which the Forest Theater Foundation has said it will support. A study by Sunset Center staff showed that average audience size over the past eight years is 200 - 250. Over the next few months, the Cultural Commission will hold public hearings to determine the appropriate use level of the theater and the length of the operating season."
(Source: CRA News May 2001 http://www.carmelresidents.org/News0105.html)

COMMENTS:
• Ironically, Mayor Sue McCloud was initially against the Design Traditions Project in part because the consultant was Nore Winter, a non-local professional. Yet, with the Forest Theater Master Plan (2001), Carmel-by-the-Sea architect Brain Congleton was contracted by the City to prepare the Plan which was later unfunded and not implemented.

• If the Forest Theater Master Plan (2001) had been funded and implemented over phrases, as recommended, all of the Plan elements would have been realized by now. Moreover, Brain Congleton would have been here locally to assist throughout the process.

• View a summary of the Forest Theater Master Plan (2001) FOREST THEATER FACILITY MASTER PLAN: A Study of Patron, User Group & Neighborhood Impact “Interrelationships”

• View The Forest Theater Foundation’s NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING on Theater Architect Richard McCann’s “pre-design” for the Forest Theater property
; from the time of the “neighborhood meeting” in October 2007 to the present, the “pre-design,” et cetera, has not been placed on a City Council agenda for a public hearing.