Annual Report and Meeting
Contact: Christine Delaney, 517-278-6029, cdelaney@Tibbits.org
COLDWATER – Tibbits Opera Foundation & Arts Council, Inc. held its annual meeting at the end of January to review the 2013-14 fiscal year, recognize its board and staff and elect new members to the board.
Tibbits Executive Director Christine Delaney summed up the year as “kind of a good-news, bad-news scenario.” She said attendance was up but so were expenses. According to Delaney, “Total usage of the theatre, which is attendance plus participants, was almost 31,000 more than a third of those youth. Summer Theatre attendance was up 12.5 percent. Days of use were also up by 13 to 232 days of performances or the rehearsals for those performances.”
Board President Brian Hodson opened the meeting by thanking the board for giving him the opportunity to serve Tibbits. He introduced the current board members. He then recognized retiring board members Randall Hazelbaker and Ray Sebastian for their years of service to Tibbits while presenting each with an engraved plaque.
Board Treasurer Ray Sebastian gave the financial report which included a loss to the operations of $31,577 after depreciation, but a profit on the restoration of $15,075 for a net loss of $16,502. Sebastian explained, “Increased expenses, mainly on the Summer Theatre production of “A Chorus Line” and on new marketing efforts, were decisions by the board which are expected to provide longer term gains.” He added this year is starting off strong and expects the current year to end in a better position.
Board member Rick Merrill represented the Restoration Building Committee. According to Merrill, “The ‘lady lights’ on the balcony are burning brightly and the committee completed its one year review of the entire façade.” He said, “The review of the theatre’s design development plans at the beginning of the year gave us a list of priorities, and in the year ahead there will be a lot of planning for how to proceed with restoration and expansion of our magnificent theater.”
Representing the Tibbits nominating committee, Board member Laura Lutterbeck presented the nominations for new members. Rick Merrill, J. Richard Colbeck and Polly Locke each renewed for three year terms. Chris Donbrock joined the board, also for a three-year term.
Immediately following the annual meeting, Tibbits board of directors met for its operational meeting and elected its officers for 2015: President, J. Richard Colbeck; Vice President, Rick Merrill; Treasurer, Brian Hodson; Secretary, Molly Van Stone; and Members at Large, Polly Locke and Jim Maynard. Also serving on the Tibbits board in addition to the members elected and the officers are Mike Beckwith, Doug Bloom, Caroline Lowe Christy, Dylan Foster, Laura Lutterbeck, Dr. Baron Whateley and Mark Heydlauff. Heydlauff represents Branch County Community Theatre. For more information on Tibbits, its programs or to view the Annual Report go to www.Tibbits.org. Copies of the annual report and the audited financial statements are also available at Tibbits administrative office at 93 West Chicago Street.
