Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Community Campaign about?

Save Libbey Bowl is a community-based committee organized to help raise funds to replace the 52 year-old Libbey Bowl, which is in a condition of severe deterioration.

2. Why Save Libbey Bowl?

There are both cultural and financial reasons to ensure the future of Libbey Bowl.

The Bowl is the heart of the Ojai Community, providing a place to gather, celebrate and enjoy a wide range of activities.  The committee envisions continuing current community activities, nurturing new community traditions and welcoming new artists and cultural events to the Ojai Valley.

Arts and cultural organizations also make financial contributions to the Ojai Community.  Attendance at these events generates revenue for our local businesses.  Currently, activities in Libbey Bowl bring in about 3.5 million annually.  With a new Bowl that amount could increase to $6million annually.  These monies translate into greatly increased tax revenues for the City of Ojai.

3. Why not simply repair the Bowl?

After careful analysis, the City of Ojai concluded that Libbey Bowl is beyond repair and has called for a complete rebuilding.  Patching and repairing the Bowl are no longer options.  Foundational elements of the building are unsound or not up to current building codes. Any money put toward major repairs—which would need to be substantial—will only delay the inevitable need to rebuild the Bowl.  When amortized over the Bowl’s projected useful life of 100 years, the City has determined tear down and rebuild to be the most cost effective solution.

4. Who owns Libbey Bowl?

The City of Ojai owns Libbey Bowl.

5. How long will it take to build the new Bowl?

The City will begin construction in June 2010. It is estimated that it will take one year to rebuild with a two month buffer built into that year.  The Bowl will re-open on June 5, 2011 with a community celebration.

6. What will the new Bowl cost?

The new Bowl will cost $3.25 million which includes 10% contingency.

7. Where will the money come from?

The project will be funded equally between the City of Ojai, the Ojai Music Festival, and the community of Ojai.  The City of Ojai and the Ojai Music Festival have already raised $1 million each, now it is up to the us to raise the final $1 million.

8. What is the timeframe for raising the money and rebuilding the Bowl?

Funds through gifts of cash or pledges will need to be committed by April 2010 in order for the City of Ojai to request constructions bids.

9. Who will manage the Bowl?

To maximize the benefits of the new Bowl for everyone, the City has appointed a Bowl Task Force Committee to re-evaluate policies, develop operational plans and ensure engaging programming in the Bowl.  The committee includes representatives from the City of Ojai, Bowl users such as the Music Festival, and leaders in the arts community.

10. Who will pay for the ongoing maintenance of the Bowl?

Since the City owns the Bowl, they will continue the maintenance of it. With a full schedule of programming annually, the Bowl will be a profit center.  The Bowl Task Force will remain in place to market and manage Bowl programming.