Cult Tartu venue spends renovation crowdfunding to stay afloat

Cult Tartu venue spends renovation crowdfunding to stay afloat A Tartu venue has spent nearly €30,000 crowdfunded for renovations on keeping itself operating. This came after it lost out on an operating grant of nearly €45,000 from the City of Tartu, having missed a deadline to fix noise pollution issues. The venue, Genialistide Klubi on Magasini, says the money raised via the Hooandja crowdfunding platform had been intended to cover its share of more extensive renovation costs, but has instead been used to keep the venue afloat after the city government decided the operating grant could only be paid once the soundproofing issues had been resolved. Around a year and a half ago, residents living near the city center venue voiced concerns about noise pollution from the venue, which describes itself as a "subculture" club and hosts parties, live music, music rehearsal rooms and other events. Genialistide has since then implemented some noise reduction measures, though lacking a building permit, it has been limited in the extent to which it can do so, and has also run into funding issues and the need to balance safety with heritage protection rules. The club's executive director Jaan Kroon said the renovation delays were the result of no solution as yet being found which satisfies both the Rescue Board and the Heritage Board. The club says it has also been hampered by the operating grant worth nearly €45,000 it had previously received from the city being withheld this year, while the renovation costs have risen in the intervening time. "There is still hope that the city's support will be there, but for the past six months we have continued operating and providing everything that Genialistide Klubi is without having full financial backing for those activities," Kroon said. These struggles mean the Hooandja crowdfunded money has already been spent keeping the venue afloat, as budgeting had been done based on the expectation that the city's grant would be forthcoming. Kroon noted that the club has "obligations to our crowdfunding supporters," who number nearly 760, adding he is "personally liable with my own assets to ensure all commitments to those supporters are fulfilled," Kroon said. The renovation work has still not been carried out by its deadline. "The deadline was June 1, by which all the work and action plan designed by Akukon OÜ was supposed to be completed. When we asked Genialistide Klubi for updates, they cited funding issues. At present, the building permit or construction notice process has reached that stage where the notice was returned by the city for revisions, but that was quite some time ago," said Sten Svetljakov, head of Tartu City Government's culture department. Among those donors, some of them former city leaders, opinion was divided on the issue. Former Tartu deputy mayor Elo Kiivet (SDE), who donated to the Hooandja campaign, said it is still too soon to be worried, noting "culture today operates under extremely difficult conditions." However another former Tartu deputy mayor and donor, Raimond Tamm (Reform), noted the project the money was originally collected for needs to be delivered if donor trust is to be maintained, not only for this particular project but more broadly, saying: "If it transpires the goal was never achieved, then I'm not sure people would consider future crowdfunding campaigns very trustworthy," Tamm said. If replacement funds are found for the donor money used and put to the original use, "then that's fine," Tamm added. Kroon said that if grant funding does not materialize, the club will have to reorganize its activities, for instance by cutting the number of free events it offers, and potentially having to close earlier in the evening. Svetljakov said the solution lies in changing the club's schedule, particularly with events before midnight, which reportedly have been the noisiest. "The disturbances have been documented, and since the city is aware that the current situation does not comply with legal requirements, we cannot continue supporting it under these circumstances," he said. The city might consider disbursing the operating grant to the club ahead of the renovation work being completed, if the club presents a suitable compromise agreement, Svetljakov added. -- Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update! Editor: Andrew Whyte