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38–172 PDF 2007

THE REAUTHORIZATION OF THE 

JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR 

THE PERFORMING ARTS 

(110–74) 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND 

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON 

TRANSPORTATION AND 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

SEPTEMBER 27, 2007 

Printed for the use of the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

( 

COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE 

JAMES L. OBERSTAR, Minnesota, Chairman 

NICK J. RAHALL, II, West Virginia, Vice 

Chair 

PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon 

JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois 

ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of 

Columbia 

JERROLD NADLER, New York 

CORRINE BROWN, Florida 

BOB FILNER, California 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 

GENE TAYLOR, Mississippi 

ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland 

ELLEN O. TAUSCHER, California 

LEONARD L. BOSWELL, Iowa 

TIM HOLDEN, Pennsylvania 

BRIAN BAIRD, Washington 

RICK LARSEN, Washington 

MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts 

JULIA CARSON, Indiana 

TIMOTHY H. BISHOP, New York 

MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine 

BRIAN HIGGINS, New York 

RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri 

JOHN T. SALAZAR, Colorado 

GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California 

DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois 

DORIS O. MATSUI, California 

NICK LAMPSON, Texas 

ZACHARY T. SPACE, Ohio 

MAZIE K. HIRONO, Hawaii 

BRUCE L. BRALEY, Iowa 

JASON ALTMIRE, Pennsylvania 

TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota 

HEATH SHULER, North Carolina 

MICHAEL A. ACURI, New York 

HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona 

CHRISTOPHER P. CARNEY, Pennsylvania 

JOHN J. HALL, New York 

STEVE KAGEN, Wisconsin 

STEVE COHEN, Tennessee 

JERRY MCNERNEY, California 

LAURA A. RICHARDSON, California 

JOHN L. MICA, Florida 

DON YOUNG, Alaska 

THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin 

HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina 

JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee 

WAYNE T. GILCHREST, Maryland 

VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan 

STEVEN C. LATOURETTE, Ohio 

RICHARD H. BAKER, Louisiana 

FRANK A. LOBIONDO, New Jersey 

JERRY MORAN, Kansas 

GARY G. MILLER, California 

ROBIN HAYES, North Carolina 

HENRY E. BROWN, JR., South Carolina 

TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON, Illinois 

TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania 

SAM GRAVES, Missouri 

BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania 

JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas 

SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia 

JIM GERLACH, Pennsylvania 

MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida 

CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania 

TED POE, Texas 

DAVID G. REICHERT, Washington 

CONNIE MACK, Florida 

JOHN R. ‘RANDY’ KUHL, JR., New York 

LYNN A WESTMORELAND, Georgia 

CHARLES W. BOUSTANY, JR., Louisiana 

JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio 

CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan 

THELMA D. DRAKE, Virginia 

MARY FALLIN, Oklahoma 

VERN BUCHANAN, Florida 

(II) 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND EMERGENCY

MANAGEMENT

ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of Columbia, Chairwoman 

MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine 

JASON ALTMIRE, Pennsylvania 

MICHAEL A. ARCURI, New York 

CHRISTOPHER P. CARNEY, Pennsylvania, 

Vice Chair 

TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota 

STEVE COHEN, Tennessee 

JAMES L. OBERSTAR, Minnesota 

(Ex Officio) 

SAM GRAVES, Missouri 

BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania 

SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia 

CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania 

JOHN R. ‘RANDY’ KUHL, JR., New York 

JOHN L. MICA, Florida 

(Ex Officio) 

(III) 

(V) 

CONTENTS Page 

Summary of Subject Matter .................................................................................... vi 

TESTIMONY 

Kaiser, Michael M., President, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing 

Arts ........................................................................................................................ 2 

PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS 

Altmire, Hon. Jason, of Pennsylvania .................................................................... 17 

Carney, Hon. Christopher P., of Pennsylvania ..................................................... 18 

Cohen, Hon. Steve, of Tennessee ............................................................................ 20 

Norton, Hon. Eleanor Holmes, of the District of Columbia ................................. 21 

Oberstar, Hon. James L., of Minnesota ................................................................. 22 

PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED BY WITNESSES 

Kaiser, Michael M. .................................................................................................. 23 

vi 


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(1) 

THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER 

REAUTHORIZATION 

Thursday, September 27, 2007 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC

BUILDINGS, AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, Washington, DC. 

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:08 a.m., in Room 

2167, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton 

[Chair of the Subcommittee] presiding. Present: Representatives Norton, Cohen and Graves. 

Ms. NORTON. I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to Michael 

Kaiser, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a world-recognized preeminent performing arts institution and iconic landmark here in the District of Columbia, our 

Nation’s Capital. Mr. Kaiser has presided over the Center’s transformation both in architecture and in programming. The building’s 

1.5 million square feet on 17 acres has been upgraded, refigured, 

and transformed to more easily and graciously accommodate the 

Center’s 2 million annual visitors and patrons. 

Mr. Kaiser has given committed and personal attention not only 

to the Center’s programmatic side, but also to the more mundane 

bricks and mortar that make up the Presidential memorial, which 

we must remember is what the Kennedy Center is. 

Mr. Kaiser has not lost sight of the important symbolism of this 

building as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy, and we are 

grateful for his vigilance. 

Today we will begin the process of reauthorizing appropriations 

for the Center for a period of 5 years. The appropriations will support the capital needs as well as the operations and maintenance 

of the building. Operation costs include utilities, fire protection and 

systems, ADA requirements, heating, ventilation, cooling and 

plumbing. Capital requirements are centered around renovation of 

the larger spaces, such as the Grand Foyer, the entire roof, and the 

reconfiguring of the plaza at the front of the building, something 

that we have long sought. Traffic flow and pedestrian access were 

improved by adding a grand staircase and a new vehicular circulation pattern. 

We are pleased to hear from the president of the Center, and I 

especially want to hear how the Center is becoming more energy 

efficient, one of the priorities of our Subcommittee. 

Mr. Kaiser, welcome. 

Mr. KAISER. Thank you very much. 

2 

Ms. NORTON. I want to hear next from our Ranking Member, Mr. 

Graves. 

Mr. GRAVES. Thank you, Madam Chairman, for holding today’s 

hearing on the reauthorization of the John F. Kennedy Center for 

the Performing Arts. 

Let me also thank our witness, Mr. Kaiser from the Kennedy 

Center, for being here today. We invited you here to talk about the 

current condition of the facilities and the future needs of the Kennedy Center. 

The Kennedy Center has millions of visitors every year who come 

to enjoy the world-class performances in its theaters and public 

spaces. Maintaining a facility that welcomes visitors and performers has proven a difficult task, and today we seek to ensure 

the upkeep and modernization of the Kennedy Center. 

The popularity of this institution has contributed to the wear and 

tear on the facilities. In the 36 years since the Kennedy Center 

first opened, it stores millions of visitors who have enjoyed performances in the nine theaters and various public spaces of the 

Center. 

The authorization request submitted by the Kennedy Center includes plans to upgrade fire safety systems and stairwells, increase 

accessibility, and upgrade and maintain basic building features. 

Major projects also include the replacement of the Curtain Wall 

and panels of exterior marble that have been discolored or damaged. Renovations that would bring the Concert Hall up to standard for a national orchestra are also planned. 

By maintaining the facility and proactively making repairs, the 

Center will be able to prevent major problems in the future. Longterm projects include the renovation of the theater lab and the terrace theater with improved accessibility, and update the theatrical 

systems. The Theater Lab will be made more useful and the infrastructure issues will be addressed. These two theaters would be updated towards the end of the 5-year authorization period. 

While the Kennedy Center has had its fair share of construction 

management problems in the past, I am pleased to see that it has 

instituted a number of reforms recommended by this Committee 

and brought its more recent projects to completion on time and on 

budget. 

So I look forward to this hearing. I look forward to hearing from 

our witness about the procedures in place to use public and private 

funds, for capital asset acquisition and maintenance, and to ensure 

the fiscal responsibility to maintain. 

Thank you again, Madam Chair, for holding this hearing, and I 

look forward to it. 

Ms. NORTON. Thank you, Mr. Graves. 

Now we will hear from our witness, President Kaiser. 

STATEMENT OF MICHAEL M. KAISER, PRESIDENT, JOHN F. 

KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 

Mr. KAISER. Thank you very much, Madam Chairman. It is a 

great pleasure to be here today, and I am grateful for the tremendous support of this Subcommittee over my 6-1/2 years as president 

of the Kennedy Center. Indeed the Kennedy Center has received 

several authorizations through your Subcommittee since 1995. 

3 

Over the last 12 years, the institution has made enormous progress 

in making necessary capital repairs to the entire memorial and improvement in its operations and maintenance. 

Our current authorization bill expires on September 30, 2007 and 

the Center is asking the Subcommittee’s consideration for a proposed 5-year reauthorization spanning fiscal years 2008 to 2012. I 

will describe the Center’s plan for this time span shortly. But for 

the benefit of all Subcommittee Members, I would like to take a 

minute to describe briefly the breadth of the Center’s activities and 

outreach across the country and across the world. 

The Kennedy Center is both our national cultural center and a 

living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. I emphasize the 

world ′′living′′ since there is a vitality to the memorial and the institution that far exceeds anything that could have been envisioned 

when the Center was chartered by Congress in 1958 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower as the national cultural center. 

Each year, the Kennedy Center reaches over 2 million people 

with more than 2,000 performances in all performing arts disciplines. Every season, our focus is on developing programming 

that achieves national and international acclaim as is befitting our 

role as a national cultural center. 

But our performing arts activities are not limited to the Washington, D.C. Area. We are committed to touring productions to all 

50 states to make them available to all Americans. The National 

Symphony Orchestra, a vital part of the Kennedy Center for 20 

years, is fulfilling this mandate by expanding its national touring 

activities. The Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on 

Tour program brings the best of family and children’s theater to 

107 cities in 31 States and serves over a quarter million people 

each year. The Center is committed to making arts accessible to everyone and presents free performances every day of the year on our 

Millennium stage. These performances are also available free to 

every American via live Internet broadcast. 

The Kennedy Center also is committed to arts education and has 

created one of the most extensive arts education programs in the 

world. We have committed $125 million over 5 years in this effort 

and serve 11 million people nationwide annually. We now train 

25,000 teachers annually to bring the arts into the classroom at all 

levels. Our Distance Learning Initiative, which touches more than 

1 million teachers and students each year, enables classrooms to 

experience world-class performances and to engage in discussions 

with artists at the Kennedy Center. Our Partners in Education 

program mentors relationships between arts organizations and 

their community school systems with 105 organization teams and 

school systems in 46 States and the District of Columbia. 

The Kennedy Center also provides training to talented young 

Americans who aspire to careers in dance, music, conducting and 

set design. Our American College Theater Festival identifies the 

next generation of actors, designers and playwrights, with 20,000 

students from over 900 colleges participating. 

The Kennedy Center has instituted two programs which we hope 

will change the landscape of the arts in America. The Institute for 

Arts Management, which prepares arts managers for jobs running 

major institutions throughout the world, and the Capacity Building 

4 

Program for Culturally Specific Arts Organizations, which trains 

managers of African American, Latino, Asian American and Native 

American arts organizations. We have also instituted international 

arts management programs in Mexico, China, Pakistan and the 22 

Arab nations. 

The extensive programming and education activities that the 

Center presents and provides are supported through private contributions of almost $50 million annually, not counting other government grants or endowment earnings which total an additional 

$20 million each ear. In addition, the Center earns approximately 

$65 million each year from ticket sales, parking fees, food service, 

space rental and our gift shops. 

In support of our artistic and educational programming, the Center takes seriously its responsibility to keep the building, a Federal 

asset, in the best condition possible. The Kennedy Center building 

consists of 1.5 million square feet of usable floor space on 17 acres 

of land. The building contains nine theaters, two public restaurant 

facilities, nine special event rooms, five public galleries, halls and 

foyers, and approximately 50,000 square feet of administrative offices. 

Let me assure you that the Kennedy Center will continue to operate a safe, secure, and well-maintained building for all of its patrons and visitors and provide preventive maintenance as well as 

routine and emergency repairs and replacement of building systems. To this end, the Center received a Federal appropriation of 

approximately $30 million this year. The direct Federal funding 

provided the Kennedy Center is used for both the operations and 

maintenance and for capital repair and restoration of the Presidential monument. Direct Federal funding may not be used for programming expenses. The operating and maintenance account is for 

the maintenance, repair, and security of the entire facility and 

grounds. This includes utilities, fire protection and sprinkler systems, elevators and handicap lift systems, and a myriad of electrical, mechanical, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing 

and sanitary water systems. 

In addition to the maintenance and operation of these systems, 

this account also funds small renovations and the administration 

of 20,000 feet of offsite warehouse space. The security department 

provides 24-hour protection every day of the year, emergency response, key and access control, alarm system, monitoring, dignitary 

protection and crowd management. 

In addition to these personnel services, the department maintains a variety of security and safety systems, such as electronic security, vehicular barriers and fire alarm and fire suppression systems. 

The Center is always looking for opportunities to make the memorial more energy efficient. One example of our progress is the 

completion of an energy savings performance contract which has 

resulted in substantial energy savings. We believe this reauthorization proposal will accommodate anticipated cost escalation as well 

as critical minor repair projects and increases relating to employee 

salaries and benefits, utilities and contracted services, including security, housekeeping, and ground services and equipment mainteVerDate Aug 31 2005 14:58 May 07, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 P:\DOCS\38172 JASON
5 

nance. The Center’s capital repair and restoration account addresses the larger renovations to the infrastructure of the memorial. 

During the past 9 years, much has been accomplished. In 1997, 

the Center reopened its renovated state-of-the-art fully accessible 

Concert Hall. In 2003, the opera house was also completely renovated to address fire and life safety issues and accessibility. In 

2006, we opened our new family theater that offers a completely 

modern accessible venue for youth and family productions. And 

currently the Eisenhower Theater is undergoing its first full renovation since it opened in 1971 with improvements to life safety, 

building systems and accessibility. The Grand Foyer has received 

a complete overhaul. The Center has installed a new fire alarm 

management system and public address system for the entire 

building. 

Rehabilitation and modernization of the Center’s elevators is in 

progress, with 10 completed to date. The Center conducted a comprehensive survey to identify all asbestos-containing materials in 

the building and has implemented an ongoing inspection and maintenance program, including substantial abatement activity. The entire roof and roof terrace were replaced and new safety railings 

were installed. Likewise, the marble deck on the plaza level was 

removed and replaced with new granite paving. 

Perhaps our largest capital improvement has been to the site and 

grounds. The new circulation provides free-flow traffic movement to 

the garage, additional garage entrances and exits, and direct access 

to the Potomac Expressway from the Kennedy Center site. 

Pedestrian access was improved by replacing the steep ramp 

with a monumental stairway and a fully accessible walkway. The 

site was also completely relandscaped and new lighting of the 

building and the grounds were installed. To heighten security, an 

electronic security system, including closed-circuit cameras, has 

been installed throughout the building and grounds. Vehicular 

bollards were installed at the entrance to the service tunnel. The 

entire key and access control system was upgraded. A new security 

operation Center was installed. 

To prepare for this reauthorization proposal, the Center completed a full update of its comprehensive building plan with the latest information of the facility’s condition and need for improvement. A team of architectural and engineering consultants surveyed the entire building and recommended upgrades based on the 

current needs and conditions, provided cost estimates and organized the improvements into a new implementation plan. This plan 

reflects the Center’s continued priorities of access, of accessibility 

and life safety, as well as facility infrastructure. 

The completion of life-safety efforts identified in previous plans, 

such as installation of sprinklers in the roof terrace level and the 

renovation of the Eisenhower Theater, take precedence in the near 

future. 

Over the authorization period, the Center’s capital repair implementation plan includes installation of sprinkler systems and replacement of fire doors on the roof terrace level, as well as minor 

architectural upgrades such as carpet replacement, wall and ceiling 

finishes and new lighting; renovation of miscellaneous toilet rooms 

throughout the building to address accessibility issues and to upVerDate Aug 31 2005 14:58 May 07, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 P:\DOCS\38172 JASON
6 

date fixtures and finishes; improvements to exit stairwells, including upgrades to stair treads, handrails, lighting, signage, ventilation, finishes and doors, and upgrades to door hardware such as 

handles and openers to meet accessibility requirements. 

In the longer term, as the life safety and accessibility work 

throughout the facility is completed, the focus will shift to facility 

infrastructure improvements. These projects will include replacement of the Curtain Walls, which involves replacing all of the large 

floor-to-ceiling windows and the gaskets in the Grand Foyer, Roof 

Terrace, Hall of States and Hall of Nations; repairs to the exterior 

marble where panels have become broken or discolored and joints 

have deteriorated; renovations to areas in the south block underneath the Concert Hall which were not addressed during the larger 

Concert Hall renovation. In addition, this project will address some 

environmental issues, instrument storage locations on the stage 

and in the upper levels of the auditorium. Significant work on 

aging mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems will also be instituted. 

The Kennedy Center’s building systems primarily include original equipment. And although maintained and serviced regularly to 

ensure proper function, these elements not previously in the theater renovation projects are reaching the end of normative service 

life and are showing signs of failure and deterioration. This reauthorization proposal will allow the Center to embark on a systematic rehabilitation campaign. Mechanical system upgrades will include repair, refurbishment or replacement of heating and cooling 

equipment such as boilers, air-handling units, humidifiers, pumps, 

valves and piping. Plumbing systems will also receive major upgrades. The electrical systems will receive a complete overhaul, including replacement of aging electrical wiring, panels and devices. 

The emergency power transfer switches will be replaced and safety 

and protective devices will be tested and upgraded as necessary. 

Upgrades also will be made to technical state systems, including 

various cyclical replacements, audio-visual systems and rigging 

components. These projects, though not obvious to the public, are 

critical to the continued safe and efficient operation of the Center. 

Two additional projects affecting public spaces will be initiated 

toward the end of this 5-year period. The renovation of the Theater 

lab and the Terrace Theater. The Theater Lab, a flexible black box 

theater space, will be renovated to create permanent walls, address 

sound transmission problems and upgrade finishes and building infrastructure. The Terrace Theater, over 30 years old, will receive 

improvements in accessibility, seating, finishes, patron circulation 

and building and theatrical system infrastructure. 

Accessible seating is currently only available in the rear of the 

theater. While this is not a violation of accessibility laws, it does 

not conform with our standards of service to people with disabilities. It would be ideal to provide additional disperse seating. 

I should note that project design will start during this 5-year period, but the bulk of the expense, including construction expense, 

will fall in 2013 and a subsequent authorization. These projects to 

be completed over the next 5 years and many other long-range 

projects and planning constitute an aggressive plan designed to 

7 

keep the Center operating in a way befitting a Presidential memorial. 

Let me finish by expressing gratitude for this opportunity to update you on the many activities of the Kennedy Center. I thank the 

Subcommittee for its continued support of the Center and it is my 

hope that your Subcommittee and Congress will receive this proposal favorably. 

I am pleased to answer any questions. Thank you very much. 

Ms. NORTON. Thank you, Mr. Kaiser. 

Before I proceed to questions, I should ask Mr. Kuhl if he has 

any opening statement to make. 

Mr. KUHL. Thank you, Madam Chairman. I don’t have any opening statement, but thank you for the opportunity. I was just curious if the Chairwoman was going to organize a Subcommittee trip 

to the Kennedy Center so we could review personally the proposed 

project. 

Ms. NORTON. And do you have a performance in mind, Mr. Kuhl? 

Mr. KUHL. No performances other than Mr. Kaiser. 

Ms. NORTON. I am sure Mr. Kaiser would be pleased to do just 

that. 

Mr. KAISER. We would be thrilled to invite all of you to the Center at an appropriate time for you. 

Mr. KUHL. Great. Just contact your office. 

Mr. KAISER. Absolutely. 

Mr. KUHL. Okay. Thanks, Madam Chairman. 

Ms. NORTON. Of course. 

Mr. Kaiser, as you will recall, we had a hearing and had both 

you and the director of the Smithsonian here because we are looking at both the core differences—one is centrally funded by the 

Federal Government and, of course, the Kennedy Center is not. 

What is your annual fund raising goal? 

Mr. KAISER. Our annual fundraising goal is approximately $50 

million. In addition, we raise about $20 million from other government grants and from our endowment funding. So it is a total of 

$70 million of unearned income. 

Ms. NORTON. What is your own policy regarding board membership? Obviously you have a large board. Many of them are from the 

private sector, I am pleased to, report because that is where the 

money is, and therefore many of them are involved in businesses 

of all kinds. 

How do you avoid some of the problems that the Smithsonian 

had, not so much with its board but with conflicts of interest? 

Mr. KAISER. Well, as you know, Madam Chairman, our board is 

appointed both by the President of the United States and by the 

leadership of Congress. But we ask all of our board members to 

sign a conflict-of-interest statement. And on this conflict-of-interest 

statement, they have to reveal if they have any business dealings 

or other dealings or ownership of any of the major vendors who 

service the Kennedy Center. So far there has been absolutely no 

conflict of interest. But we do make, each year, each of our board 

members sign, and, I should say, also the senior staff. 

Ms. NORTON. Do you have a recusal process in case something 

is—— 

8 

Mr. KAISER. Yes. So far we have not had to use that recusal process, but we would obviously have to recuse any board member from 

any decision involving a vendor where there was a conflict of interest. 

Ms. NORTON. Well, far from being critical of the way in which the 

Kennedy Center operates, my own view—and I have a bill that is 

going to be introduced shortly—is that the Smithsonian itself cannot operate differently from other major arts institutions with 

strong attachments to the private sector. That kind of attachment 

obligates people not only to sit on boards and smile, but to do what 

they can to bring resources to the institution. And that appears to 

be happening with the Kennedy Center. You have a large board, 

I understand. About 60 people or so. 

Mr. KAISER. Correct. 

Ms. NORTON. Is the size of the board related to the resource need 

of the Center, or why is the board so large? 

Mr. KAISER. The board, I think, is large because there are 36 

members appointed by the President and then there are 14 Members of Congress. And I think to maintain some level of balance, 

I think that was the reason why the board was created. 

Ms. NORTON. Do you find that size a good size for the board? 

Mr. KAISER. We find it very acceptable to us. To be frank, we 

work very hard to maintain a personal relationship with each 

member of the board and to make sure that each member of the 

board feels involved and can get involved in specific projects, rather 

than leaving all of the communication to happen at board meetings. 

Ms. NORTON. How frequently has the Kennedy Center used the 

services of the IG for the Smithsonian of which you are a part, of 

course? For example, typically Federal agencies ask for opinions 

ahead of time with respect to large contracts to make sure that 

there are no issues that Congress would call them to account on 

or the like. Is that something that the Kennedy Center does? 

Mr. KAISER. No. In fact, at one point in time, we were discussing 

using the IG for part of our audit process, our capital projects audit 

process. But the Smithsonian was not in a position to staff up that 

activity. And through discussions with the staff of this Subcommittee and with the Appropriations Subcommittee, we decided 

it was best for us to hire outside experts to audit our capital and 

our operations areas rather than to rely upon the Smithsonian IG. 

We simply could not work quickly enough through the IG’s office. 

Ms. NORTON. That is important information for us to have. And 

I certainly commend you for making sure that you were covered at 

least by outside auditors. The difficulty there is, of course, that 

there is no equivalent to the IG anywhere in the country and therefore Congress is dependent upon independent IGs. I just think the 

Committee will have to talk with other Subcommittees about how 

to make sure you have access if and when needed to those services. 

What is the naming policy of the Kennedy Center? 

Mr. KAISER. The Kennedy Center is a Presidential memorial first 

and foremost, as you mentioned in your opening comments. Therefore, we do not have any naming of any spaces at the Kennedy 

Center, with one exception, and that is the Eisenhower Theater is 

named after President Eisenhower, since it was under his administration that the concept of a National Cultural Center was first apVerDate Aug 31 2005 14:58 May 07, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 P:\DOCS\38172 JASON
9 

proved by Congress. But no spaces in the Kennedy Center are 

named. 

Ms. NORTON. So I take it that if someone approached you with 

a large amount of money—because naming—I don’t blame people, 

they give a great deal of money—and said I want to name this or 

that part of the Kennedy Center, you would feel obligated to come 

to the Congress on that matter? 

Mr. KAISER. We would feel obligated to say no, Madam Chairman. What we do is we direct our major donors, and we are fortunate to have major donors, to the underwriting of specific programs 

as opposed to the sponsorship of specific spaces at the Kennedy 

Center. 

Ms. NORTON. And I do believe because it is a Presidential memorial, you will be able to find large donors who understand that 

there are other ways to let the public know that they have contributed, besides having their name imprinted on a Presidential memorial. That is hubris plus, I suppose. 

Mr. KAISER. Yes. We are very grateful that we have been able 

to double our private fundraising over the last 6 years. So clearly 

there are enough opportunities for funders to find naming—in programming, as I said, rather than in spaces. 

Ms. NORTON. Have you done that mostly with ticket sales, or 

how have you done it? 

Mr. KAISER. No. That doubling is of pure private fundraising. 

Ms. NORTON. Well, how have you done that? 

Mr. KAISER. I could go through a long dissertation on how we do 

fundraising. It is a little bit like—— 

Ms. NORTON. How a fund-raiser do private fundraising without 

naming is of interest. 

Mr. KAISER. Again, for larger donors, we focus on their supporting large individual programs. For example, we have individuals who sponsor our theater program or who sponsor our ballet 

program without asking them to name a space. These are annual 

grants rather than long-term capital grants. 

And then we have been able to get endowment grants from people who, again, would like to take a long-term position of supporting some of our areas. For example, we have one major donor, 

the largest donor of the Center, has given us an endowment to pay 

for the music director’s salary of the Kennedy Center, to endow 

that salary level. So we work very hard to find ways to meet the 

needs of our donors, but we do not name spaces and we will not. 

Ms. NORTON. Do you share—are you pretty apart from the 

Smithsonian or what—— 

Mr. KAISER. We are separate—— 

Ms. NORTON. I know you are separate. I am trying to find what 

kind of cross-fertilization there is between you and the Smithsonian. 

Mr. KAISER. There is much discussion amongst many of my staff 

members with many staff members of the Smithsonian at the programming level. Our general counsel speak together, our chief financial officers speak together. So there is a tremendous amount 

of sharing at the staff level of information, and in a variety of departments, and we call upon their advice and guidance many 

times. 

10 

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Kaiser, I think that they need some sharing on 

your fundraising ability and how to do it in their own theater. They 

have a much larger set of cultural institutions to work with, and 

the Committee is very concerned that they have been constrained 

as a government institution is, but have not been nearly as creative 

in finding new funds. 

I have some more questions, but I am going to turn to others 

first. First, of course, to the Ranking Member, Mr. Graves. Does 

any other Member of the Committee have a question? Yes, Mr. 

Cohen. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have 

a—just kind of going through your statement here, which I appreciate, Mr. Kaiser. You mentioned in your statement that you are 

committed to touring productions in all 50 States, and that the 

Center Theater for Young Audience, Kennedy Center, goes to 107 

cities and 31 States. Do you know if you have taken any programs 

to Tennessee, to Memphis or to Nashville? 

Mr. KAISER. Absolutely. In fact we brought the National Symphony to Tennessee just 2 years ago. 

Mr. COHEN. Where in Tennessee? 

Mr. KAISER. I can get you a complete list. We did 150 different 

performances and lecture demonstrations and master classes—— 

Mr. COHEN. I am only interested in Tennessee. Really, in Memphis. 

Mr. KAISER. In Tennessee—— 

Mr. COHEN. How about Memphis. 

Mr. KAISER. I would have to get that information, sir. I am sorry 

I don’t have that information with me. But I am happy to give you 

a complete report of everything we do in your State. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you. I would like to have that. And also I 

would like to have seen the Kennedy Center. Years ago I went to 

the Kennedy Center and went around some and was really awed 

by the beauty of it and magnificence. And then on Monday night, 

I went to the Magic 102.7 concert and Patti LaBelle was fantastic, 

and my friend Isaac Hayes was spectacular, and James Ingram 

was great. And we were in one of the halls there. I guess it was 

the—not the Opera Hall, but the concert—it was the Opera House. 

It was the smaller one to the left. 

Mr. KAISER. That is the Concert Hall. 

Mr. COHEN. We were in that one. I wanted to see the Opera 

House. I thought it would be kind of interesting to see it, and I 

walked down and I told the security guard I was a Member of Congress and I would like to see the Opera House. And he told me it 

was closed, I couldn’t see it. So I didn’t get a chance to see it. 

There was a gentleman there named Major Harris and he was 

real nice. And he said, of course you can see it. But I went back 

in to watch Isaac’s performance and then I went backstage to talk 

to Isaac. And then when I came out, Major Harris was off and the 

other security guard was on. And he was, like, the joke about I am 

the guy that controls the butter. Yeah. So it would have been nice 

to see the Kennedy Center. 

Mr. KAISER. We would love to take you on a tour. I will take you 

personally if you will come with me. We do, of course, maintain a 

11 

great deal of security, as you can appreciate that security of the 

building is of paramount importance to us in this environment. 

Mr. COHEN. I understand that. But I am—you know, I am not 

one of those guys that do bad things. 

Mr. KAISER. I am sure that is true. 

Mr. COHEN. Yeah. Thank you. Madam Chair asked about naming 

and you said—is there anything in your bylaws or charter about— 

or anything Congresshas passed about naming theaters? 

Mr. KAISER. You know, I honestly don’t know if it is in anything 

Congress has passed. We just take it as given that we have no ability to name any space in the Center. 

Mr. COHEN. Of course, the Congress has that ability. 

Mr. KAISER. But we don’t have an ability to take a private contribution and name a space to thank the donor for that contribution. We just take that as given and so it is just never considered. 

Mr. COHEN. I think that is a wonderful policy because I think 

that would be gauche, to just be craven to money, which so many 

groups have to be. But a government group doesn’t have to be craven to money, unless it be Congress. 

Mr. KAISER. We appreciate that we are first and foremost a Presidential memorial, and we do not think it would be fitting for a 

Presidential memorial to be naming spaces. 

Mr. COHEN. What do you think if the Presidential memorial 

named the—and let me see where I had it here—the American 

Film Institute building or one of the building—or the Theater Lab 

and named it in honor of Ronald Reagan? Wouldn’t that be a good 

idea, one of the most famous actors ever—theater person, motion 

picture deal President who did a great job with all of those programs there honoring folks? I mean, when he honored people at the 

Kennedy Center, it was really something. The honorees knew him 

and they dug it, and I think they called him ′′Dutch′′ or whatever 

they called him, and they rode off into the sunset together. 

Wouldn’t that be cool? 

Mr. KAISER. I feel like that is not in my pay level. I would leave 

that to Congress to decide what they want to name at the Kennedy 

Center. 

Mr. COHEN. That is something we should consider, a good bipartisan thing. And I may put it in. Which do you think would be 

the—I know it is above your pay level, but let us just—right now, 

which of those is more a theater that would be appropriate for Ronald Reagan. 

Mr. KAISER. Again, I would hate to speculate in this hearing. I 

would prefer to leave that to my board. 

Mr. COHEN. Well, you are speaking to your board. Yeah. Which 

would be more appropriate as a movie theater place where they 

show movies more likely, or film? 

Mr. KAISER. In fact, the American Film Institute, which did have 

a theater at the Kennedy Center, they removed that theater and 

built their own facility in Silver Spring. That would be a great 

thing to name for Ronald Reagan. 

Mr. COHEN. We are going to put that in and I hope that Madam 

Chair would join me in naming the American Film Institute Theater there for Ronald Reagan, and we could be bipartisan on that. 

And I think it would be most appropriate. 

12 

I don’t think there was a President since John Kennedy that had 

such an appreciation for the arts, of film, of talents like that. I 

mean, certainly that was their crowd. 

And then it might be appropriate to name something like the 

Opera House for Jacquelyn Kennedy Onassis. That wouldn’t be 

something that you would think would be untowards in such a 

house. She was really the source of John Kennedy’s appreciation 

for the arts. 

Mr. KAISER. Absolutely. 

Mr. COHEN. Behind every great man is what? 

Mr. KAISER. A great woman. 

Mr. COHEN. You got it. You got it. Your pay scale is higher than 

you think. Are you married? 

Mr. KAISER. No, I am not, sir. 

Mr. COHEN. Well, I thought that was a good answer. I thought 

your wife—I’m not married either, but that is a good husband answer. But we know it. But I think those are both things we could 

do. And I don’t know if they should come out of this Committee, 

but certainly Ronald Reagan on the American Film Institute, and, 

at the same time, we might do the Opera House for Jacquelyn Kennedy. Jacquelyn Kennedy would be most appropriate to be remembered there. And I think there really should be a commissioning of 

a bust of her to be in the same building as John Kennedy. I think 

it would do a lot for the Kennedy Center, and I think when people 

think of the arts, they really think of Jacquelyn Kennedy. 

And I will look forward to coming over and taking a tour. It 

would be nice to kill two birds with one stone because our time is 

valuable and I appreciate it. But really to be honest, it was not 

only security, it was kind of the attitude. 

Mr. KAISER. Well, I apologize for that. 

Mr. COHEN. You didn’t know about it. It was not your fault. It 

was a private security guard. That is sometimes a problem you 

have when you do this rent-out stuff, this privatization scene. You 

get people that don’t have respect for necessarily the institution 

and/or the authorizing entity that employs them indirectly, but 

only for their direct supervisor. And they don’t have that institutional feeling. And if you get me the list of folks that you all do 

your—where you do things in Memphis and Tennessee, I would 

certainly appreciate it. 

Mr. KAISER. We will be happy to do that, sir. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, Mr. Kaiser. Thank you, Madam Chair. 

Ms. NORTON. And just for the record, the history of naming of 

the Eisenhower Theater had nothing to do with—it was during a 

time when Democrats were in power. It was a great tribute to the 

President, but nobody was trying to do something political. The National Cultural Center had been formed under President Eisenhower and that was the first National Cultural Center. So it was 

felt by the Congress that it was appropriate to have a theater 

named for President Eisenhower. 

I think the American people have respected the fact that this is 

a Presidential memorial and that this is a slain President, and that 

is all you have to say. And we just—I don’t want to get into naming 

anything, frankly, because most things are named after people who 

are dead. I would rather just go forward and deal with the KenVerDate Aug 31 2005 14:58 May 07, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 P:\DOCS\38172 JASON
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nedy Center, which is very alive and bubbling I must say. And I 

have some questions about that. 

I am about to introduce a bill, after a great deal of discussion 

with the National Park Service and the Smithsonian, to move the 

Mall toward being a living mall. This stretch of land out there, it 

is all I can call it; if it were in any other great city, some use would 

have been made of it; there would be little places where you could 

eat. Instead of a fast food place, particularly—because it is surrounded by cultural institutions, some of that culture would have 

been brought to the outside. I mean, there are all kinds of things 

that one can think of just because of where it is located. 

Well, I am pleased to see that you have brought the Kennedy 

Center and its performances outside. They are important because 

it can seem a place that is foreboding. Maybe I can’t afford to go 

there, maybe that is really for Presidential events or cultural 

events of that kind. It is very good that you have done that. I 

would like to see, for example, notions like something is coming. It 

may be a musical event to the Kennedy Center, it may be a play. 

Here is Eleanor Holmes Norton talking off the top of her head. 

So I will have to talk to the grand master on this. Whether or not, 

for example, a short scene from a play, people were told is going 

to be out on the Mall. It takes 15 minutes and you will get a taste 

of a cultural institution—by the way, you might take some people 

who want to come who would not otherwise come, not to mention 

musical events. Even if a small number of people—I don’t know 

why there aren’t jazz quartets or string quartets out there at 

lunchtime so people can bring their own lunch. I wonder if you 

think—quite apart from the quite ambitious programs you have 

brought out on to the Mall, I wonder if you think that there is room 

to bring a taste of what is in the Kennedy Center out on the Mall 

were such a program to be initiated by the Smithsonian. 

Mr. KAISER. Surely, I think that would be doable. From our experience working outdoors—and as you mentioned, we do a good deal 

outdoors now. In this environment, music works much more easily 

outside than the spoken word. So I would want to advise that one 

do musical events as opposed to plays. And what I would suggest 

that it be music that is of the louder variety rather than of the 

quieter variety, because you just don’t hear it as well outdoors. 

Ms. NORTON. Let me ask you about—I am also on the Homeland 

Security Committee, and everyone with respect to any institution 

in Washington has to perhaps think more deeply about that than 

if located elsewhere. Let me ask you specifics about how you would 

treat an event happening while something is in progress at the 

Smithsonian. Suppose you had notification of an event of some 

kind. 

Mr. KAISER. Well, we have—— 

Ms. NORTON. That is related to terrorism. Maybe we don’t know 

whether it is, but that is what we have, is notice of some kind of 

event and you have got people in the Kennedy Center, how would 

you—— 

Mr. KAISER. There are several answers to that. Firstly, all of our 

ushers are trained in emergency evacuation procedures so that we 

are experienced in evacuating the Center in the case of that need. 

We have an emergency response team of senior staff who are reVerDate Aug 31 2005 14:58 May 07, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 P:\DOCS\38172 JASON
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sponsible, who are on essentially a network and responsible for 

handling emergency responses in given areas of the building. And 

then we have our security staff who manages all of this activity. 

One of the reasons I mentioned that we put in a whole new loud 

speaker system, it gives us an ability throughout the building to 

talk to everyone in the building, which we didn’t have prior to 9/ 

11. So we have made great strides in the last 6 years in trying to 

address these very issues. 

Ms. NORTON. I think it is a very difficult issue for someone in 

your position to even contemplate. I don’t anticipate it. I know that 

when Tractor Man appeared, what we saw was a mass self-evacuation. And I don’t think that we on Homeland Security, the District 

of Columbia, or national security officials have done enough to encourage people to stay in place. 

I think that if anybody went running out of the Kennedy Center 

at a time when there was an event, that he would be in probably 

greater danger than if not. Now, it is hard for me to think of an 

event, other than the building coming down on fire, for example, 

or if it was an event that was citywide, where you would be in better shape trying to get out of your garage or trying simply to get 

out of your location. But I don’t think that with all we know about 

evacuation, that is obviously the first thing that anyone focuses on, 

because the first thing you have got to think about is a fire in your 

own place. I am not sure, given the number of institutions all centered in downtown Washington, whether or not we have thought 

deeply enough about the immediate response to an event, whether 

that event is a bomb or some kind of a biological or nuclear event. 

Mr. KAISER. If I could, Madam Chair, let me just add to my comments that the reason I talk about evacuation is that our biggest 

fear has to do with events taking place in our garage. As you know, 

our garage is underneath the building. So getting out of the building is a priority in a great many of the scenarios that one can 

draw. But I should say that we had completed a set of procedures 

for various types of incidents. So we have formal policies for various types of incidents, including a stay-in-place policy. So I don’t 

want to say that all of our drills and all of our discussion has to 

do with leaving, but my biggest concern has to do with something 

that might happen underneath the facility. 

Ms. NORTON. With respect to fire safety, if there were a fire or 

gases of some kind, I would have similar concerns about everybody 

rushing to their cars. How does one deal with some kind of electrical fire or other—or other event generated within the Center 

itself, since most people I guess have arrived by car. 

Mr. KAISER. When we complete our life-safety program on the 

Roof Terrace, which we will do over the next 2 years, then the entire building will be sprinklered and will have a life-safety system 

in place so that we can deal with an event in one area versus another area. 

Ms. NORTON. Now, the entire building is not sprinkled yet? 

Mr. KAISER. We are embarking this coming fiscal year that starts 

Monday on the last piece, which is the Roof Terrace level. That 

would have been completed this coming year as opposed to initially 

this coming year, except for the continuing resolution that limited 

the capital funding available to us. So we will complete the EisenVerDate Aug 31 2005 14:58 May 07, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 P:\DOCS\38172 JASON
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hower life-safety project in the next 12 months and the Roof Terrace project in the next 24 months. And then we will be complete. 

Ms. NORTON. This would be a matter of the first priority, I would 

hope. 

Mr. KAISER. It is absolutely our first priority, which is why it is 

the first thing. Once the continuing resolution is over, we are right 

on it. 

Ms. NORTON. I have one final question and that is the Kennedy 

Center one evening after—Washington is still in some ways the 

one-horse town it was when I decided after high school that I really 

had to see what the real world was like on the way to school. It 

was a small-time southern town, had no culture. Indeed what culture there was when I was a kid, was segregated. It was a segregated town. Of course, it didn’t have any culture for the white 

folks either. It was a town that was without culture. 

The fact is it has got fine restaurants, it has got a great deal of 

culture, its theater is first rate. However, after one goes to the theater—and I go to the—one of my favorite pastimes is going to a 

wonderful little theater here. Unlike New York, finding a place to 

eat is almost impossible. That is really a sign of a town that has 

not arrived. People, of, course work hard in Washington, so most 

just go to, you know, and have a nice dinner ahead of time, and 

you do that in New York and some people do. But there are always 

a zillion places to go. It is a big city. It is a different city. There 

is a Roof Terrace—first of all, I didn’t even—somebody had to tell 

me we think something—you can still get served there. I went and 

I could. And I found it was quite delightful. But I don’t know how 

anybody would have known it was there. I didn’t see it advertised 

even on the premises much for being open for dinner. I had no 

sense that they were used to receiving guests after the theater 

right there in the Kennedy Center. 

I don’t understand how it supports itself if it doesn’t in fact tout 

its availability, particularly in a section of the city where there is 

noplace else to eat. You have got to make me understand the thinking behind the restaurant that I found I went to like a blind 

woman following, the bread crumbs. You will find your way to a 

place to eat, even in the Kennedy Center. 

Mr. KAISER. We do advertise on the screens in the Hall Of Nations and Hall of States about the availability. It is on our Web site 

and it is in all the mailings that we do, and our mailings go out 

to about 300,000 people. But what we have found—and it could be 

just inadequate advertising—but we have found that most people 

in Washington after a show ends at 10:00 at night or let’s say at 

10:30, they want to go home versus going out to eat. 

Ms. NORTON. I implore you, Mr. Kaiser, to assume that there 

would be—you can’t assume it unless—if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t 

work. And it was open. But the people who—and it is true that 

many people come from the suburbs and maybe they have to get 

home. But I can’t believe that with 3 million people living here and 

in the suburbs, there would not be a clientele to go there If there 

was something on the premises you could go to. You are already 

parked, you didn’t have to go downtown and find yet another place 

to park. 

16 

Mr. KAISER. We will endeavor to do a better job of marketing the 

availability of the restaurant after performances. 

Ms. NORTON. How late is that restaurant open? 

Mr. KAISER. It is usually open until after the last curtain and 

then enough time for people to come up and order, and then whenever they complete their meal. 

Ms. NORTON. I do want to tell you if, in fact, there is any notice 

as one comes to the Kennedy Center on either side where the theaters are located, I have never seen them. So I would only ask that 

there be better notice and maybe an easel that might say after dinner, try—— 

Mr. KAISER. We will do a better job. 

Ms. NORTON. Is that supported entirely by—as every other restaurant would be? 

Mr. KAISER. The restaurants are franchises. We have a franchiser who we have a contract with. And we receive a portion of 

their proceeds. They are actually responsible for their own marketing, although we do a great deal of marketing for them. 

Ms. NORTON. If you have a tete-a-tete, given your own prowess 

at fundraising, with them about their marketing just a little better, 

there might be some of us who are starved because we work late. 

That is typical of people in the Federal Government, and it is an 

unmet clientele that—or potential clientele that is looking for food. 

Mr. KAISER. I will work on it. I promise. 

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Graves? Thank you very much, Mr. Kaiser. 

Mr. KAISER. Thank you, Madam Chair. 

[Whereupon, at 11:00 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.] 

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