JANUARY 22, 2002
Dirk Marler GUESTS
Wendy Aguilar introduced her guest and member-in-waiting, Tomas Guzman. Jack Gilbert brought former member, Jim Hogan and Dawn Aliverti introduced us to Barbara Pool.
MORPHING BARB THE BEAR
After three weeks, Jack Gilbert was finally able to bring and guest and pass along Barb the Bear. It seems, though, that the bear has been in back seat of Jack’s Vintique with rest of his stuffed animal collection. In the end, the Barb turned out looking a lot like Mighty Mouse and has now become the responsibility of EricWaidman.
SHIRTS FOR SALE
Velma has one large and one XL Kiwanis shirt for sale at $26 each.
NEXT WEEK’S PROGRAM:
Yakima Port District
GILBERT ELECTED TO THE BOARD
Board vacancy created by the resignation of Greg Lybeck, will be filled by Jack Gilbert. Jack was elected by acclamation at Tuesday’s meeting.
WELCOME RON ANDERSON
President Doug and Corky Mattingly introduced our newest member, Ron Anderson. Steve Emhoff sponsored Ron’s application. Ron works in governmental affairs for the Home Builders Association.
CAPITOL HAS BIG PLANS
Capitol Theatre Executive Director, Steve Caffrey, and his assistant, Caroll McKay, presented Tuesday’s program.
The Capitol was built 1920, burned in 1975, and rebuilt 1978. The Theatre is owned by city and managed by a nonprofit corporation with a volunteer board. It has an annual attendance of about 85,000. The budget is approximately $1.6 million.
The organization believes it has a responsibility to be part of community's resource bank in a way that is defined by our community's agenda. That includes performing arts, being a cultural center, and facilitating economic development.
The Capitol is currently exploring areas of expansion. It's a rebuilt 1923 theatre. According to Caffrey, it just is not possible to adequately heat or cool the building and there are not enough women's stalls in a restroom that was built by men. The size of shows and productions is also growing, and the theatre needs an infrastructure retrofit to accommodate those changes.
Another phase will involve changes to the loading area in the back. Millions of dollars of equipment are exposed to the elements and then brought in through a small loading dock.
The third element is to create a downtown center for the arts. Current plans include a 500-seat theatre and a breath-taking two-story atrium with services that will become a popular gathering point. This plan includes creating a “Zocalo” plaza on Third Street that designed to bring people downtown, including exposure to Native American and Mexican culture. It will create a safe, appealing place people will want to come regardless of their interest in the arts. The federal government is currently reviewing plans for the “Zocalo” because they dovetail with the security needs of the adjacent William O. Douglas federal courthouse that is adjacent to the Capitol.
Total project cost is about $20 million, which Caffrey says can only be realized through a public-private partnership.
The Capitol received a $500,000 grant from Helen Jewett to do drawings and begin public conversations and build a sense of community support for the project. Using the arts for a driver downtown makes perfect sense, says Caffrey. He points to downtown Seattle and Tacoma, which were rejuvenated by a health mixture of housing, retail, and entertainment.
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