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SOPA, Inc., Expresses Gratitude to Town
3/14/08
By Lynette Johnson, SOPA SecretaryThe Supporters of the Performing Arts would like to offer a fresh perspective on the Town’s participation in this community’s effort to build a much needed performing arts center, that is, gratitude to the Town. As Chairman Chris Wood mentioned in his article last week, the Town is providing a very well located site at the corner of Manford and Community Drive. There are several advantages to this location. First of all, it is directly adjacent to the school campus and the Fairgrounds, close to the Convention Center, and easily accessible by Hwy 36. Secondly, the sloping contour of the land on this lot affords a minimal amount of excavation to accommodate the fly-space needed for any theater. By contrast, if the PAC were to be built on Lot #4, for example, the excavators would have to blast about thirty feet down into the bedrock that lies under it, an extremely expensive prospect. Third, the Manford/Community Drive site provides adequate space for some 600 paved parking spaces without adding to the downtown congestion. The present shuttle bus system can easily be stretched so that visitors can circulate from the shopping/ restaurant areas, on to an evening at the Performing Arts Center, and back. The Town is also committed to an annual operating subsidy of $217,000 once the facility is up and running. If the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater (RMRT) in Grand Lake (pop. 435) is any example, this subsidy can be phased out after a few years of successful management. On its current sales brochure, the RMRT states that in the 2007 summer season it ran at “96% capacity ticket sales.” Although tickets cost $25 each for adults, it had “thirty-eight straight sold-out performances in the months of July and August” with “an average of sixty-eight individuals turned away per day at the Box Office!” Now the RMRT is planning to build a new 300-seat theater on land that has been given by an anonymous donor. Well, Estes Park has a well-known but equally generous donor, i.e., the Town of Estes Park. It is time for the residents, both permanent and temporary, of Estes Valley (pop. 8,889) to join with the Town to build this long-awaited Performing Arts Center. SOPA, Inc., and its many current partner/donors do not like to see the three million tourists who pass through Estes Park every summer continue just passing through. More community partners are needed! Contributions of any size are welcome. A total of $1.25M already raised in the first year is something to brag about. Lets beat Grand Lake to the goal. All donations are tax-deductible as the Supporters of the Performing Arts is a 501 (c) (3) corporation. For further information, visit our website at www.EstesParkTheater.com or call Chairman Chris Wood at 970-481-6142.
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