City council has given a public vote of support to the Chapel Gallery and Allen Sapp Gallery in their current form.
Council voted Monday night in favour of a resolution that both the Chapel Gallery and Allen Sapp Gallery remain in operation and continue to function in their current capacities.
The vote follows a recommendation to council to that effect passed at the Parks, Recreation Culture and Heritage Meeting Dec. 19.
The future of the Chapel Gallery and Allen Sapp Gallery erupted as an issue during debate on the 2012 Operations and Capital Budget in December. On the first night of deliberations Dec. 13, Councillor Trent Houk raised the idea of operating the Chapel Gallery and the Allen Sapp Gallery under one roof.
That comment was enough to prompt an immediate pushback and several emails from arts supporters in the community, who raised fears the galleries might be eliminated entirely. Several attended the deliberation session the following evening as a show of support for the two facilities.
Councillor Don Buglas noted members of the parks and recreation committee strongly supported the galleries in the community.
"If anything, they wanted to see further growth," he added.
Councillor Grace Lang, who was at the Dec. 19 meeting, said members of the committee "wanted to weigh in with this" with their support.
While there was wide support for the galleries on council, there was some initial concern expressed about the open-ended wording of the resolution and whether future councils would be "boxed into a corner," as both Mayor Ian Hamilton and Councillor Ron Crush put it, by the wording to keep the facilities open "in perpetuity."
Buglas made the point that a future council could still pass a motion reversing it in the future.
Councillor Ray Fox made the point that in any event the "buck stops here" with council, and council has the authority to make decisions on the facilities. Fox also made the point the resolution was meant to send a message to those in the arts community that council wasn't interested in shutting down the two facilities.
