Crescent Harbor Gallery in Crescent City, California, administered by the Coast Redwoods Art Association, may be looking for a new home.
The following letter by Association President Linda Ging explains the situation the gallery faces.
"The history of the art association goes back to 1955 where Thelma Mills Thompson and a group of friends first started meeting in garages, homes, little rooms in the old high school and the old Coast Guard Station. The focus of these meetings was to educate the members on the world of art and help create a friendly environment where like minded individuals could mentor one another. We have always inspired and taught every age group in our community. Thelma Mills Thompson would take her little daughter around to these meetings. Thelma’s daughter, Doris Dalbec, is now one of our community’s leading artists.
In 1984, Thelma Ostrow encouraged the group to look at permanent housing. With her encouragement, the community come together and transformed an old building at the harbor into our present home. This present home is known throughout the community as the Crescent Harbor Art Gallery.
Our soon to expire (1/31/2009) lease agreement clearly states that we own the building but lease the land on which it sits, from the harbor. We currently pay $180 per month rent pursuant to lease terms. The art association has maintained the building during the past 20 years. Major improvements to the building, paid for by the Gallery include a new roof, a two story addition on the east end of the original building and new carpet. We pay our own insurance and all utilities. We have incurred ZERO COST to the harbor since our lease began. We might have since we asked the Harbor Board last year to provide our gallery with better signage on their HWY 101 frontage. We are still waiting on this signage as I craft this document.
Our lease also states that we have 60 days from the end of our lease to remove the building.
We started our negations for lease renewal roughly a year and a half ago. We intentionally started negations at such an early date. Other harbor lessees we had spoken to had informed us that renegotiating leases with the harbor is a painfully slow process.
Our formal negotiations began after our letter to the harbor commission resulted in a meeting with their ad hoc committee in January 2007. Our negotiations with the harbor continued through November of 2007. In November, [confirmed by our retained minutes of that meeting,] we verbally agreed upon a five year extension of the current lease agreement which did result in an increase of our monthly rent. The terms we verbally agreed to in the November 2007 meeting were understood to be as follows: 1st year, $250 per month; 2nd year, $350 per month; 3rd year, $450 per month and 4th and 5th years, $500 per month. We left phone messages, following this meeting with the Harbor Master, asking when we could expect to see this proposal in writing.
The proposal finally came in the form of a letter dated May 23, 2008. We were quite surprised to see that it varied significantly from the terms we had verbally agreed upon in November 2007. In their recent letter, the Harbor Board offered only a two year lease. The first year’s monthly rent would be $750 with the second year’s rent increasing to $1200.
I wrote a letter on behalf of the gallery to the C.E.O. / Harbormaster and their lease sub-committee asking that our lease negotiations be added to their board agenda for June 17. At this meeting I expressed our gallery’s concern over these egregious terms which increase our rent by 416% the first year and 667% the second year. I reminded them that we are a non-profit organization with a mission that is not bottom line driven. Thirty Seven people in attended the June 17th meeting where a majority of those in attendance showed or voiced their unwavering support for the gallery.
Throughout our negations in 2007 the harbor sub-committee repeatedly told us that we had to remission our organization and become a profit center to increase our bottom line. It wasn’t a suggestion; it was their quid pro quo for how we could remain in the harbor. Our gallery’s mission is NOT PROFIT DRIVEN nor has it been since its inception. Our mission is to provide community service through education, inspiration and community leadership in wide variety of artistic mediums. The members are proud of the impact that they have contributed to the community both culturally and economically. This gallery helps sustain cultural development through art and art education. For the economic development piece, we develop artists and provide a marketplace for their multiple creations.
This gallery teaches over 300 students a year in weekly art classes. Adults in our community are free to take advantage of the weekly oil and water color classes at no cost. Noted artists present demonstrations of their craft which are open to the public. Our artists have donated countless hours on the community murals which include the Renner wall, ACE Hardware and as of 6/21/2008, Del Norte Office Supply. The gallery organized the first fundraiser for the Maritime Museum and raised $14,000 through their donation of original art sold at this auction. These are just a few of the many contributions this gallery offers.
I am sure that many of you have your own story to share on the impact this gallery and its members have had on you.
In the last sub-committee meeting we ask the commissioners why we were being charged such a high rate when the non-profit organization next door to us at the harbor pays $1 a year. We were told that our neighbors “offer a service.”
Our community knows of our plight. We are currently evaluating the possibility of moving the gallery to a new location should the current harbor offer be final. It’s too early to know what the final answer will be.
By now, everyone in Del Norte County is aware of the infrastructure crisis and financial difficulties faced by the Crescent City Harbor Board. Although there are adjustments to the dollar totals, by any estimate they are quite significant. The boundary of the harbor district is finite. Its revenue sources are limited as well. Multipliers such as tsunami damage and variations of commercial fishing restrictions further increase the challenges faced by the Harbor Board.
It is just hard to believe that the Harbor commission is looking at us as merely a source of rent that, in their eyes, provides no services and pays a “mere pittance” in rent. Nobody on the Harbor Board senses that their offer will potentially leave our wonderful gallery as another abandoned vessel upon which the seagulls will drop their shell fish.
I urge everyone to come to our gallery and look out our windows to the West and North. I’m not going to paint a picture of the view out either of those directions since it’s not pretty. Blight comes to mind. Next, look at our display walls to the East and South within our gallery. You will easily see what we offer, what our values are and why these negotiations are critical to our very existence. If the current harbor offer stands, it will be the Tsunami that wipes us out.
We have one more meeting with the sub-committee at the end of June. We are not optimistic however, we must keep trying.
The gallery board is calling for a special general meeting June 30, 11:00 AM at the Crescent Harbor Gallery. Please try and attend."
Linda Ging
President
Seems there should be grants available to maintain your status.
It also appears that a tax benefit could be had by the harbor should it choose to "donate" your existing space/rental.
What, if anything, are the county commissioners doing to help?
Certainly the city/county owns land it could provide you rent free.
At best, perhaps the city/county/state should begin to enforce is various ordinances to abate the blight, caused by your unfriendly landlord.
I spent a week in Crescent City recently and notice signs posted on the harbor property that threatened to confiscate property (camping equipment, and presumabaly RVs) who violate the parking prohibition. If that is the harbor mentality, it is certainly unconstitutional and it adversely affects the revenue flow visitors provide to the City.
How are you keeping members of the community, and others, informed of the status?
Steve Mizera
Posted by: Steve Mizera | August 28, 2008 at 08:47 PM