Ojai’s Libbey Bowl amphitheater took its final bow when it was demolished Tuesday, as the project to replace the crumbling, termite-ridden structure moved forward with finality.

“A whole 2 1/2 years of work is culminating, and we’re finally moving forward in what is the most visible stroke possible — tearing down the old amphitheater,” Ojai Music Festival Director Jeff Haydon said of the structure built for $12,000 in 1957.

“It’s always been a fight at the bowl to race with the termites and rot to keep it from coming down and the community won. This year, we were barely able to keep the bowl structurally sound enough to keep it open.”

Funding for the Libbey Bowl reconstruction project hit a small snag on June 16, when the Ojai City Council delayed awarding a $2.4 million renovation contract to McGillivray Construction Inc. The council was concerned the city would have to advance the funds from its reserves for the project to proceed with an ambitious schedule to reopen it in time for the 2011 Ojai Music Festival.

After a public outcry and reassurances from the Save the Libbey Bowl Campaign, which is raising funds for the renovation, council members Betsy Clapp and Sue Horgan joined council members Steve Olsen and Carol Smith in approving the funding on June 22.

“We’re all very excited the project is under way. I know that there’s an aggressive construction schedule and we’re glad to see contractors jumped right on it,” Ojai City Manager Jere Kersnar said. “It’s always difficult to put together a complicated project with multiple funding sources, but it’s gratifying to get to this point.”

Haydon said he is looking to the day when the new amphitheater is unveiled.

“It was amazing how flimsy the old bowl was and how quickly it went down,” he said. “We all have our memories, so it was kind of bittersweet.”

Kersnar said the next hurdle is to make sure the funding is in place for the planned upgrades, including new dressing rooms and other amenities.

“The fundraisers are now working to raise money for additional enhancements,” Kersnar said.

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jul/13/nxxfclibbey14/#ixzz0thWGvYCZ
- vcstar.com

This has been an amazing week for Ojai.

Last Tuesday City Council made a difficult decision to delay the award of a contract for another week.  Although this was a disappointment to the Save Libbey Bowl Committee, the delay allowed better information and analysis to be shared and resulted in greater communication between the City and Campaign.

Then came Saturday—one of the most memorable community moments in Ojai’s History. Well over 1,000 people gathered together in Libbey Bowl to say goodbye to the old bowl and to celebrate the rebirth of a new facility.  A big THANK YOU needs to be given to Kate and Barney Barnhart and their amazing committee for organizing the event, to the merchants who donated food and liquor, and the artists who created works for sale.  The community spirit was truly inspiring.

The momentum continued on Tuesday, as the City Council unanimously voted to move ahead with the project by awarding a contract bid to McGillivray Construction.

We thank our City Council members for all their hard work and for taking their fiduciary responsibilities so seriously.  The Council has made an important decision that will have a lasting positive effect on Ojai and our community proudly stands behind them in this decision.

Most importantly, we thank you, the community, for stepping forward to “Save Libbey Bowl.” The campaign owes it success to the more than  700 donors, 200 volunteers, 35 neighborhood parties, dozens of special activities, support from local businesses and organizations like Rotary and the Ojai Valley Museum, over 25 local in-store events and the efforts of new coalitions like Bakers for the Bowl. The Ojai Valley News was invaluable in helping us get our story out to the community.   Together, we created the most powerful force for good to blow through the Ojai Valley in many years.

And the fun (and fundraising) continues. An additional $500,000 is needed to add dressing rooms, of which $200,000 is in hand.  Our next event organized by the Ojai Valley Museum happens this Sunday.  More neighborhood parties are scheduled into the fall so the camaraderie that the Bowl project has created will continue until there is a brand new facility for us all.

Libbey Bowl is truly the heart and soul of our town. We look forward to our new Bowl and all the possibilities it holds for our community.  For sure, it will be the economic driver and improve city services. Most importantly, the Bowl will remain Ojai’s cultural icon and community gathering place for years to come.

All the good people of Ojai want to see this project succeed. The need is obvious, the solution present and the will overriding. Sometimes we get excited and move too fast.

Our editorial of today may have been such an event.

We are sorry that the comments in the paper did not properly respect our volunteer civic leaders. The editorial we wrote in the Ojai Valley News several days ago, published today, had a mis-statement. We apologize to Sue Horgan who did notify us that she felt it would be prudent to delay the City Council meeting one more week or she would have to abstain.

Over the last 24 hours our town and its officials have had open and continuous dialogue to move the “ball” bowl forward.

We want to thank everyone for this new productive discussion.

We look forward to seeing this project move ahead.

Let’s all come together Saturday, and celebrate the deep community spirit which will Build this Bowl.

-Esther Wachtell, Jeff Haydon, Gary Barnhart, Kate Barnhart, Cathryn Krause, Tom Krause, Joan Kemper

Save Libbey Bowl from the City Council

How to Demolish a City and Not a Bowl

After being given a gift of 2.8 m dollars from the people of Ojai, the city council last night voted 2 to 2 to delay for at least another week the decision to move forward with construction of the new bowl. This delay has put the entire project in jeopardy. The two council members, who abstained from support of the motion made by Councilwoman Carol Smith to move ahead with the project, gave “insufficient information” as the reason for the additional delay. In fact, adequate information has been provided for several weeks to both City Council and City staff.

The core problem is this: 2.8 million dollars have been raised, 1.8 of that is in the form of pledges which will come in over the next 1-4 years. The two abstaining Council members felt it would be “imprudent to move ahead” because they did not trust that their constituents would honor their pledges.

This decision to delay again puts the entire project at risk and shows a profound failure of vision, leadership, and confidence from the city council. The meeting held on Tuesday evening had been postponed twice due to the schedule needs of the council and requests for further analysis from staff. In just the past three weeks alone, over 60 hours have been spent by the Save the Bowl leadership to provide analysis and answer questions to City staff, with no further questions posed from City staff.

The actual situation is straightforward: The cost of the project is $2.65. $1 million is available now in cash and $1.8 million is pledged to be paid over the next 1-4 years. History proves that pledges are honored; in addition, a contingency fund has been established in case there are uncollected pledges.

In fact, the greatest risk is not to move forward and leave the heart of our community deteriorating behind a chain link fence.  Revenues generated by a new Libbey Bowl will provide needed City services for the community for years to come.

We respect the City Council’s responsibility to make prudent financial decisions; however, over 700 households in the Ojai Community who have the same responsibilities to their families, have made the investment in Libbey Bowl in recognition of the fact that the Bowl is the single most effective economic driver the City owns.

A Last Gasp celebration party to say goodbye to the old Bowl and celebrate raising the money for the new Bowl is scheduled for this Saturday, June 19th at 4:30pm. It will most certainly be a party to say goodbye to the Bowl one way or the other. The Bowl, our Bowl, this beautiful open forum for our school’s performances, our children’s events, our music, our plays, our City celebrations and our City sorrows, the heart of our Hamlet, cannot denied.

This is the last gasp to save Libbey Bowl.  If you care about the heart and soul of Ojai, be there with us to rally the City Council to action.

Libbey Bowl Campaign Reaches Initial Goal!

In one of the most ambitious community fund-raising efforts in Ojai history, the Save Libbey Bowl community campaign announced this week that it has reached its goal of $3 million toward reconstruction of the historic amphitheater.

Successful completion of the community campaign means that Phase I of the Bowl project can now start on time at the end of June.  Construction has been planned in phases, with this first phase including re-orienting and building the basic shell, re-grading the seating area and installing new seating, creating a new entrance with the Trimpin public art, and planting of over 20 new trees and hundreds of native plants.

“This has been one of the most gratifying community projects I’ve been privileged to participate in,” said Community Campaign Chair Alan Rains. “More than 600 households, businesses, service clubs and non-profit organizations have contributed gifts ranging from less than a dollar to six-figures. Indeed, this Bowl has been built by the community.”

The intense grassroots campaign involved some 150 volunteers and included such activities as neighborhood parties, Bakers for the Bowl, Bucks for the Bowl, and a day-long aerobics marathon. A community-wide “demolition party” is slated to begin at 4:30pm on Saturday, June 19 to celebrate the success of the campaign and to thank donors and volunteers.

Jeff Haydon, who has coordinated planning among the three main funding sources – the City of Ojai, the Ojai Music Festival and the community campaign – said he expects fund-raising efforts to continue, buoyed by the momentum generated over the last eight months and the need to build the other two phases.

“All of us working on this effort are immensely grateful and moved by the generosity of the community,” Haydon said.  “While we can and need to pause to celebrate this historic accomplishment, we must keep the fundraising momentum going to ensure that we can build out more than just the basic project to include dressing rooms and bathrooms that are needed to make the Bowl more functional and financially self sustaining. There are still people in the community who have expressed interest in donating—their gift is still very much needed to help build the full project.  Everyone in the community needs to be part of this historic project.”

Volunteers have a number of fundraising events still on tap – including more neighborhood parties, garden tours, 10K runs, soup parties, chili cook- offs, and more– to raise funds for completion of the construction.  Dozens of supporters will be continuing these efforts until the new Bowl opens in June 4, 2011.”

By Lisa McKinnon, Ventura County Star

Last week, supporters succeeded in meeting the May 1 deadline to raise $3 million to rebuild Ojai’s Libbey Bowl.

This week, organizers of the Ojai Music Festival announced that famed soprano Dawn Upshaw will serve as music director when the 65th annual festival is staged at the then-newly refurbished bowl in June 2011.

“You couldn’t have the second announcement without the first,” said Anna Cho, special-events organizer for the festival and director of the Save Libbey Bowl campaign.

“Without that $3 million in hand, plans to rebuild the bowl could not go forward,” Cho added.

The money is earmarked for grading the property, rebuilding the amphitheater and replacing the existing plywood benches with individual seats.

Additional funds still are needed to refurbish the bowl’s bare bones dressing rooms, Cho said.

Built in 1957, the outdoor structure is now plagued by wood rot and termite damage and runs the risk of being condemned in its current state, said Jeffrey Haydon, executive director of the music festival.

It is slated to be torn down June 21, about a week after the final concert of the 64th annual festival featuring conductor George Benjamin, mezzo soprano Hilary Summers and works by Frank Zappa.

The city has put the rebuilding project out to bid and is due to award a construction contract on May 25, Cho said. A demolition party on June 19 will serve as a fundraiser.

Other fundraisers include a promotion at Feast Bistro in Ojai in which 10 percent of sales every Thursday in May will be donated to the cause.

Upshaw’s grand re-opening concert on June 4, 2011 will be followed the next day by a “thank you” day of music at the bowl, Cho said.

The events are preambles to the 65th annual music festival, which will feature violinist Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, jazz composer Maria Schneider and the Maria Schneider Orchestra and the return to Ojai of theater director Peter Sellars when it takes place June 9-12, 2011.

The program’s creation is being overseen by music director Upshaw, who last performed at the festival in 2008.

It also will launch Ojai North!, a project that from June 13-15, 2011 will see festival programs and artists in residence at UC Berkeley. In its first year, the multi-year project will include a commissioned work by Schneider for Upshaw and the Australian Chamber Orchestra and a new production by Sellars with Upshaw as the soprano soloist.

Both works will be on the 2011 program for Ojai. Additional programming details will be announced this fall.

For more information, call the festival at 646-2094 or click on http://www.ojaifestival.org.

by Lisa McKinnon, Ventura County Star

After two years and dozens of fundraisers, organizers of the Save Libbey Bowl campaign have two days to raise the final $33,000 needed for the project before its publicized deadline Saturday.

“If my phone continues to ring the way it did today, I think we’ll make it,” Anna Cho, director of Save Libbey Bowl, said Thursday. “I don’t want to jinx it, but I’m optimistic.”

More than $3 million is needed to rebuild the outdoor venue, which was erected in 1957 and is now plagued by wood rot and termite damage.

If the structure isn’t torn down and rebuilt, it runs the risk of being condemned in its current state, said Jeff Haydon, executive director of the Ojai Music Festival.

As the bowl’s oldest and most visible tenant, the festival raised the first $1 million for the restoration project in 2008. The city of Ojai contributed $750,000 to the effort, adding an additional $170,000 by underwriting development fees, Haydon said.

Donations also have come from such community fundraising events as dance-exercise marathons and neighborhood wine-and-cheese parties. Butter for the Bowl, in which the 25-cent cost of having butter on popcorn at the Ojai Playhouse is donated to the cause, has raised about $300 so far, Cho said.

In mid-March, when the fundraising deadline was extended six weeks to May 1, the campaign spearheaded by the Ojai Valley Service Foundation still had $350,000 to go.

But recent weeks have seen contributions by Rabobank, N.A., which agreed to donate $25,000 over five years, and by the Rotary Club of Ojai, which donated $30,000 in a lump sum.

Club president Scott Smith said the gift was intended to inspire Rotary members and others in the community to match the $30,000 donation.

Time is of the essence: The city has put the project out to bid and is due to award a construction contract on May 25, according to Save Libbey Bowl. Demolition is slated to take place about a week after the close of the 65th annual Ojai Music Festival in June, with a gala reopening concert featuring soprano Dawn Upshaw scheduled June 5, 2011.

For additional information, call 646-3117 or go online to http://www.libbeybowl.org.

In 1994 we purchased a “bulldozer special” adjacent to Libbey Bowl.  Our decision  to purchase was based on Location-Location-(and a great stove) but after scratching the surface of our new nest and painfully realizing  why no bank would consider carrying this mortgage, rivers of tears flooded forth.   Outside the air was completely filled with the amazing licks from the annual Bowlful of Blues.  Holding each other close,  sobbing unconsolibly,  we danced, swirling ’round and ’round to the music that enveloped us.  I’ll never forget that time… WELCOME HOME!!!!!

The Ojai City Council performed a leap of faith Tuesday when it voted to designate the Libbey Bowl Reconstruction Project an official project in spite of being short the full amount estimated for renovation. Ojai Public Works director Mike Culver reported that, of the $820,000 contributed by the city so far to the effort, approximately $780,000 has been spent or allocated for various costs, including consulting functions and architectural design, and an additional $40,000 will be used for continued consulting services. This leaves nothing available for actual construction, making the fund-raising efforts by local groups and volunteers more essential than ever.

The Ojai Music Festival and Ojai Service Foundation, instrumental in generating donations to rebuild the decaying amphitheater at the heart of the city, originally set a $3 million goal for the effort that has since been upgraded to a $3.2 million price tag. The city and OMF pledged two-thirds of the amount, with the Save Libbey Bowl campaign accepting responsibility to procure the remainder.

Bill Burr Jr., vice president of OSF, reported that the project is not out of the woods yet. “We have a total of $2.8 million,” said Burr. “Now is the time for everybody who waits till the last minute to make their donation.”

While the council members were hesitant to direct staff to call for bids without having all the money raised, they also expressed awe for the community support and hope that the last dollars needed will materialize. Delays in initiating the bid process would have threatened to disrupt the tight construction time line that calls for demolition immediately following this year’s Music Festival season in order to see completion before next year’s season.

With the call for bids made Wednesday, bid opening scheduled for May 12 and contract awards set for May 25, this will allow construction work to begin June 21 in anticipation of an April 11, 2011 completion, giving nearly a twomonth buffer before the grand opening June 9 to 11, 2011.

“I knew we were going to get to the point where we had to fish or cut bait,” said Councilwoman Sue Horgan, “but I think you have a lot of steam rolling and I’m willing to take this step.” Always a stickler on budgetary concerns, Horgan reminded all that she will not vote to award a contract if the money is not in the bank by the time the project returns to the City Council for approval.

Councilwoman Betsy Clapp took the sentiment a step further in stating that she could not support the project’s designation because management of the completed bowl had not yet been worked out. She cited issues that were to be addressed in the following agenda item submitted by the Libbey Bowl Operations Task Team looking for policy direction for the amphitheater’s management.

“I share your concerns, however Libbey Bowl is falling apart,” said Councilwoman Carol Smith. “It’s becoming a blighted bowl. I think that I will go with hope that the rest of the money will be raised … Libbey Bowl is our star to bring tourists here during the week.” Smith expressed hope that the rebuilt bowl would attract events that enhanced Ojai’s cultural image.

City attorney Monte Widders said that there is a standard 60-day window between bid awarding and first payment installment and contractors know their bids hold until then. “At that time, if the funds are not secured, then staff would recommend that the council reject all bids,” said Widders.

“We need to move forward,” said Mayor Steve Olsen. “Mr. Widders explained what the process is and there are stop gaps in place if the money is not in place.”

The motion passed, 3-1, with Clapp dissenting. “We’re thrilled that the city of Ojai has managed this project so well,” said OMF executive director Jeff Haydon. “They’ve had a lot of leadership and vision and are not only getting it out to bid on time, but out during the most favorable construction pricing climate in recent history.”

Haydon also acknowledged the efforts of volunteers and donors and said that more than $2,000 has been raised in the Bakers for the Bowl efforts and nearly $1,000 has come in from the Save Libbey Bowl collection jars placed at businesses around the valley. “That’s a lot of change,” he said.

He also emphasized that time is of the essence. “We’re thrilled with the outgrowth of community generosity and we’ve raised almost $850,000 in four months,” Haydon said. “All of us working on the project, fund raisers and the city alike, we need to know we have people’s cash for pledges in the next few weeks in order for these bids to come in, so timing is critical.”

Libbey Bowl amphitheater has been serving the community since it was built in the 1950s and is currently used by as many as 30 nonprofit groups for more than 50 events each year. It is estimated that 1,000 performances of plays, concerts and other civic events, such as theOjai Music Festival, have been staged at Libbey Bowl since 1957.

Designed by Austen Pierpont and Roy Wilson, Ojai Festival Bowl, renamed Libbey Bowl in the 1970s, cost $12,000 to build the stage and shell section back in 1957. In recent years, spot repairs have been unable to keep up with the steady deterioration of the largely wooden structure. Termite damage, wood rot and other forms of decay have added safety issues to the list of concerns about the bowl’s endurance.

From nay-sayer to yay-sayer, Bowl restoration brings Ojai together as a community

The first year that Sweetie and I moved to Ojai we attended the Music Festival. We had no idea what to expect, including the Libbey Bowl wooden benches imported from Spain after Torquemada had finished with them. We sat close to the front, not wanting to miss a dulcet tone, a memorable phrase, a catchy tune. Warmly placed between what turned out to be veteran festival-goers, we patiently waited for the program to begin. A middle-aged man emerged to polite applause, plunked himself before the impressive Steinway and began to play. It’s been years since we experienced his performance and perhaps my memory is a bit clouded, but I swear he was playing with his elbows.

Sweetie and I looked at each other, screwed up our faces and wondered if this was a joke. When the artist concluded his performance, those around us rose as one and, amid thunderous calls of bravo, bravo, proceeded to acknowledge what, in their opinion, had been an extraordinary performance. We agreed, but not in the same sense they did.

Since that time we have attended other Music Festivals. Being quick learners, we have moved to the lawn. A place where you can snooze and, if necessary, make a relatively secret exit. Try as I can, I find it nearly impossible to appreciate the avant-garde music that is the staple of the festival. Sure, there are moments when I’m able to minimize my search for good-looking women, ignore the high-backed chairs that screen my view of the distant performance, and enjoy the clandestine imbibing of the fruit of the vine. At those infrequent times, the music can almost be, well, OK.

So why do we park three blocks away, shlep heavy lawn chairs, and race for a decent piece of grass year after year? I have yet to figure it out. The closest I can get is that “it’s an Ojai thing.”

Last year we heard that the old bowl was falling apart and that a mere $3,000,000 was needed to save it, my first reaction was akin to let ‘em eat cake. Here we were mired in the midst of an awful recession, folks were losing their jobs and contributions to feed the hungry had fallen to bargain basement levels. Why in the world would anyone think that saving the old bowl merited a prime position among other deserving community activities? I argued with Don about the merits of the venture. I vowed to keep my checkbook in my pocket. I felt mildly self-righteous.

And then a funny thing happened. I looked around and saw signs. Not just one sign in the Ojai Ice Cream store window surrounded by a gaggle of other signs. No, everywhere I looked I saw “Save the Bowl” signs, plaques and banners. The only thing missing was sky writing. Bottles and cans appeared at the check-out counters of the local merchants — with dollars and dimes floating in them. Wherever I went, the talk was about the bowl. The Ojai social calendar was filled with events that could save the old lady from destruction. Events that could raise thousands or, bless them, events that could, on a good day, raise maybe a hundred.

People were engaged. They were on a quest. Smiles appeared where only glum faces had once been. Sweetie and I made an obligatory appearance at a neighborhood meeting to discuss the bowl, its importance and the need for bucks. Guests included folks from all economic levels. Esther Wachtell made a compelling argument. Jeff Haydon was at his usual likeable, knowledgeable, down-to-earth best. Esther laid out the numbers. The annual revenue generated for the local economy, especially from those who come from far away. The other events that once used the bowl. Events that have gone away but could be lured back.

I was converted from a nay-sayer to a yay-sayer. Sure, the economy is on life support. Unemployment is tenacious. Lots of worthy causes compete for our dollars. At the same time, there are some special things that bring us together as a community. That lift our spirits. That make us smile. That make us say, “It’s an Ojai thing.”

– Fred Rothenberg is an Ojai resident, retired CPA and photographer. In 2007, along with his wife, Ila, he produced a photograph book titled “Faces of Help of Ojai.” He regularly does pro-bono photo work for a number of local nonprofit organizations, including the Ojai Music Festival and Ojai Valley Community Hospital.