Centre not putting on act

A drop in ticket sales has The Centre In The Square asking the City of Kitchener for more money.

For the first time in more than a decade, General Manager Jamie Grant is appealing to councillors to provide them with an additional $87,000 in funding.

Grant says the money would be used to market the Centre more effectively, to increase audience numbers.

If Council does not support the increase, Grant says they will likely be forced to increase the amount it costs community groups to rent the facility.

The Centre In The Square has already proposed a zero per cent increase in wages and salaries in an effort to cut costs in its upcoming budget.

The City of Kitchener gives the arts organization more than $1 million in yearly funding.

It is the only municipality in the region that funds the centre, although 30 per cent of tickets are bought by Waterloo residents.

Kitchener City Council is also being asked during budget discussions to add a quarter of a million dollars in funding to local arts and culture organizations, like THEMUSEUM and the KW Symphony.

City staff say that if that increase is not approved, it could put the sustainability of local arts and culture in jeopardy.