PERFECT PITCH: THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR BIRCH CREEK

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. Why does Birch Creek need to build three new buildings?

A. Over the past 32 years, Birch Creek Music Performance Center, Inc. has earned a national reputation for providing high quality summer study programs for talented young musicians. At the same time, Birch Creek has attracted and retained some of the finest musicians and educators in the country to serve on its faculty. Our facilities have not kept pace with the growth of our reputation, or with the demanding practice and rehearsal needs of our faculty and students. Each year, our existing facilities fall farther and farther behind in their ability to support the needs of students and faculty.

For example:

1. Crowded and inadequate student sleeping areas. Crowded student sleeping areas impose limits on admission; including the selection of students by gender compatible with available student sleeping spaces, and inability to provide adequately for students with special needs.

2. 22 students use bathrooms in a building other than where they sleep. Up to 50 boys (jazz sessions) or 40 girls (symphony session) share 4 showers.

3. Crowded and inadequate faculty housing. Faculty housing is currently composed of a former motel that was moved to the site and a second similarly sized building. Faculty, with rigorous performance schedules and teaching responsibilities, are housed two and three to a room, and sometimes off-campus, detracting from our mission of informal yet intensive faculty/student contact. One of the faculty rooms does not have plumbing--those occupants must share with other faculty members.

4. Crowded, temporary and inadequate TA/PA housing. During the largest session, TAs/PAs live in two trailers rented for the session and placed on Birch Creek's property. Neither trailer has bathroom facilities.

5. Insufficient number of student practice rooms. The lack of an adequate number of practice rooms requires students to make do with rehearsal space outdoors in tents and in small rooms, risking damage to instruments. Sometimes individual practice space is not available.

6. Insufficient group rehearsal space. Group ensemble/band rehearsal space necessitates we use makeshift practice areas (outdoors in tents), or practice in small rooms that acoustically do not replicate the performance environment. Some rehearsal spaces are too 'live'; that is, they provide too much feedback.

7. Lack of safe and appropriate storage space. Instruments worth thousands of dollars need to be stored during summer and winter months. Currently, delicate yet heavy percussion instruments and equipment are carried up steep stairs to the barn loft, risking injury to both persons and instruments.

8. Lack of year-round facilities and off-season opportunities. The concert venue, kitchen, farmhouse, granary and faculty housing are all seasonal buildings, limiting our ability to offer Birch Creek programs off season or opportunities to the community in the winter.

Q. How does Birch Creek plan to use the new facilities beyond the summer season?

A. Growingly, the need to support music education for local students continues to increase as local schools -- facing declining enrollment and revenue caps -- are forced to cut budgets. Birch Creek began Artists in the Schools clinics and workshops in Door County public school music departments in 2001, and the program has proven quite popular. Our plans to expand this program include an evening concert in the new facility, open to the public and featuring the artists in the schools. Housing for artists in the outreach program would be provided in the faculty housing facility, a building designed with the heating capacity to serve single or multiple rooms.

In addition, Door County summer arts education and performance organizations are offering year-round services for community members during the fall and winter months. However, there is evidence of a need for insulated and heated buildings for fall and winter programs. Birch Creek's new, four-season buildings and central location in northern Door County is ideal for many community groups. Our music education- and performance-based mission is a strong match for community music and performance groups of all ages, and of all sizes—from private studio music students performing a recital to small community instrumental and vocal ensembles.

Q. Will the new building enable Birch Creek to accept more students?

A. No. Our intention is not to enlarge our student population but to improve the quality of living conditions we offer and the retain our low student-to-faculty ratio of 2.3 to 1 in order to remain nationally-recognized as an outstanding music school. Since the Duttons founded Birch Creek in 1976, our reputation has grown, yet our physical plant has not kept pace.

However, as a result of providing a larger ensemble/band rehearsal and practice space, we will be able to accept several more students (and their steelpans) in the steelpan emphasis of the percussion & steel band session.

Q. Will the new building allow Birch Creek to expand audiences?

A. Yes. Birch Creek will be able to increase overall audience numbers through 'shoulder season' events, offering concerts throughout the year, and providing rehearsal and performance space for other music-based community organizations without venues of their own.

Q. What operational costs will be added, and how will you pay for this?

A. We estimate that operational costs will increase by $31,000 annually. A property tax exemption will relieve us of a very small portion of our current annual operating costs. We plan to cover the additional costs through the following means:

The winter programs will generate some revenue. The Capital Campaign will increase our donor base through cultivation events and overall education about Birch Creek's programs and mission, and we expect this to carry over to more Birchfellows donations for general operations. Birch Creek's endowment interest presently generates $12,500 annually, and if necessary, a portion of this could be used. Finally, Birch Creek is the recipient of an undesignated Trust gift, which makes $21,000 available annually through 2013. A portion of this will also be used to support operational costs, especially in the first few years.

Q. Will the building be made available to community groups?

A. Yes. Because the buildings will be year-round facilities, there will be opportunities for community groups to rent the space during the off-season. Birch Creek leaders view the Capital Campaign as a challenge to grow the number of year-round residents who are familiar with our programs, successes, and concerts. We feel challenged to understand the needs of area public school music programs, and support them by making our new facilities available for concerts and workshops during the school year. And, we seek to better understand our existing community, provide meaningful community partnerships, and build a supporting network of donors that will carry us far into the future.

Q. Will the building be handicapped accessible?

A. Yes, it will comply with federal and state codes and allow us to easily accommodate students, faculty or TAs with special physical needs.

Q. Will there be more public bathrooms added?

A. Yes, women's will increase by 8 and men's' by 7. There will also be separate facilities for students and for teaching assistants.

Q. Why are there so many practice rooms in the new facility?

A. With as many as 57 students on campus at one time, practice space is always in high demand. These rooms will provide much-needed individual rehearsal space and ample space for faculty and students to interact one-on-one.

Q. Why do you need another rehearsal space as large as the barn stage?

A. The barn is not climate controlled, and significant damage to instruments such as cracking and breakage has resulted from cold temperatures and rapid temperature changes. This space will allow for large-group rehearsals in a climate-controlled atmosphere.

The large rehearsal space is also adaptable for more intimate concerts and receptions. This will give us enormous potential both in the summer months and off-season.

Q. What percentage of the campaign will be spent on campaign operations?

A. Less than two percent. (On the average, capital campaigns reach 10 - 15 percent.)

Q. Is Birch Creek debt-free?

A. Yes. The debt incurred when Birch Creek was purchased from the Duttons was retired in year 2000, the same year we celebrated our 25th Anniversary.

Q. Does Birch Creek have an Endowment?

A. Yes. Birch Creek's Endowment was established in 2000 and is held by the Door County Community Foundation. The current balance of the endowment is $239,000.

Q. Will you have to incur debt to finance the project?

A. Yes, probably, but just short term. Our goal presently is to reach our targeted figure of $2 million in pledges before breaking ground in fall of 2007. Pledge payments will be made over a 5-year period. We will most likely need to secure a short-term construction loan. This loan will be retired in 5 years when all pledge payments have been made.

Q. What will you do if your goal is not met?

A. Because of the very careful planning we have done, we have every confidence that our goal will be met. However, should it not, the following alternatives will be considered: extend the campaign, break the building construction into phases, or postpone the construction of the faculty housing facility.

Q. Has your Board contributed 100%?

A. Yes.

Q. Have the Associates contributed 100 %?

A. The Associates campaign is currently in progress. Over two-thirds of the Associates have pledged to the campaign.

Q. Has your staff contributed 100%?

A. Yes, as of May 25, 2006, 100% of full-time staff members had pledged or made gifts to the campaign. Seasonal faculty members contribute by performing at fundraising and cultivation events and referring donors to us.

Birch Creek, the Community and the Solution

By considering our community needs and aligning those needs with Birch Creek's mission, the trustees have identified the importance of providing space on our campus not only for summer programs, but also for heated, 4-season environments. The Board of Trustees has launched 'Perfect Pitch', an exciting project that will increase campus buildings by three, providing residential and practice space for students and faculty, and relocate and improve our maintenance building for year-round use. In the off-season, building space will be available for use by community programs and schools, offer small concerts that utilize some of Birch Creek's prestigious summer staff members, and encourage off-season activities organized and hosted by Birch Creek volunteers. There is tremendous value in Door County's ability to utilize the growing national reputation of Birch Creek, not only as a summer tourism attraction, but also as a solid resource for the Door County community -- a community that is comprised of a growing number of older adults who are seeking off-season high-quality activities, as well as resident families with children, and young adults. Combined, these experiences have the capacity to increase Door County's -- and Birch Creek's -- reach to audiences not only during the summer study and performance season; but also to members of the Door County community throughout the year.

Phases of the Campaign

In May 2006, the Board of Trustees of Birch Creek embarked on a capital campaign and fundraising initiative, 'Perfect Pitch', in order to raise funds for three new year-round buildings on our campus. The buildings will provide housing for faculty (and be available to guest artists in the off-season), update student residences, provide small practice rooms and ensemble areas that can double as performance space in the off-season, and relocate our maintenance building. We were fortunate to receive village approval to build on Birch Creek's 40-acre campus, eliminating the purchase of new land from our campaign goal. It is envisioned that half of the funds will come from the first phase of the campaign, known as the 'Silent Phase,' and the remainder will come during 2007 from the 'Public Phase' and grants. In the summer of 2006, 100% of Birch Creek board members and staff pledged financial support for 'Perfect Pitch.' As well, a strong number of Associates pledged to support the campaign, while the entire Associates organization made a sizeable donation.

The school has consistently relied on its 5 full-time staff members, part-time summer staff, and over 180 dedicated volunteers to maintain its daily operations in the summer. In the winter, 5 full-time staff members maintain the ten-building campus, produce all print and Web literature, continue donor solicitation and retention, recruit faculty and students, and write grants. However, maintaining facilities, instruments, and equipment poses a bigger challenge, in that it takes more than the hard work of willing personnel to sustain them. Some of the existing housing and practice facilities are costly and expensive to maintain, particularly when over 200 students and 100 faculty with varied needs utilize them. Although the board of trustees continue planned and deferred maintenance of the 100-year-old barn, farm buildings, and newer residential/dining and administration buildings, the hard use of older buildings for student and faculty housing has is not cost-effective. In the past 6 years, the Birch Creek has spent almost $300,000 in repairing outdated wiring, plumbing, roofing, and providing expanded space for administrative offices as a continuum of planned maintenance. However, one of the buildings we use for student housing cannot continue in that capacity without significant, costly remodeling. Additionally, there are not enough practice spaces for every student, requiring makeshift outdoor practice areas that do not reliably reflect how instruments will sound in concert, and risk damage to expensive instruments. Several of our indoor ensemble practice rooms were designed for cows, not music, and -- despite the care taken during rehearsals to reduce sound feedback -- the loud, reverberating music of a packed rehearsal session risks hearing damage for faculty and students. The building and grounds committee of the board of trustees has determined that in the next 2 years, the capital costs of repairs beyond scheduled deferred maintenance will exceed $500,000.