Monday, May 26, 2003
Board members have been working hard on additional revenue.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Changes continue at W.D. Packard Music Hall with the opening of a ticket office.
"Now we can charge a fee for tickets," said board president John Bentz at a meeting Thursday. "It's great."
Before now, customers could only buy tickets to an event from the organization sponsoring it, not through the music hall.
The office enables people to buy the tickets by charging by phone to their credit card. That allows the hall to include a processing fee. The board hopes to offer the sales via the Internet in the future.
The hall also is undergoing renovation, including expanding the outdoor band shell, converting the board room into a band library and making offices into a board and multipurpose room.
Board members say 2003 revenue is triple what it's been in previous years and the building has brought in more money this year than in any year since it opened.
The hall expanded its concession offerings through a food service license and a liquor license to bolster revenue.
Before the change, refreshments either weren't offered or they were provided by nonprofit groups using them as fund-raisers.
Internal funding
The city has decreased its music hall subsidy in recent years and last year challenged Packard officials to come up with a way to be self-sufficient.
A state performance audit released earlier this year was started in 2000 before intensive planning began at the hall. It made suggestions similar to efforts already under way.
Bentz said the hall has applied to the Internal Revenue Service to create a nonprofit foundation, which will act as a fund-raising and programming arm.
"We have some leads on some funding sources," Bentz said.
Also Thursday, city safety-service director Fred Harris swore in Paul McCombs as a new board member replacing Linda Metzendorf who didn't seek reappointment.
McCombs is the former business manager for Warren city schools.