From: Beth Brennan, Chairman, Mercer Island Arts Council
[ website ]
November 13, 2006
Richard Collins,
Executive Director & CEO
PACE 855 106th Avenue NE, Suite 150
Bellevue, WA 98004
Dear Mr. Collins:
The new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE) will be an exciting addition to the Eastside community and a cultural magnet for the Pacific Northwest. The Center's location in downtown Bellevue will anchor its vibrant business and retail hub and create a much needed cultural focal point within the city and provide easier access to the performing arts for the communities east of Lake Washington.
Representing the Mercer Island Arts Council, I understand the importance of bringing quality arts experiences to the people. With the dynamic growth throughout the entire Puget Sound region, there is a strong need to decentralize our artistic venues. The Performing Arts Center Eastside in Bellevue will accomplish this and much more.
Your programming goals emphasizing world-class performances, diversity, serving as a home for regional arts, and arts education are commendable. From my perspective, it is especially vital to provide a performance space for regional artists as well as a home for local assets such as the Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra in order to create a lively community art scene, instill a city vibe, encourage cultural tourism and the growth of the performing arts on the Eastside.
The Mercer Island Arts Council and I look forward to the much anticipated opening of the Performing Arts Center Eastside in 2009 and would like to offer our full support to this wonderful endeavor of building a first-class performance hall and regional cultural center which will be a landmark and legacy to the Puget Sound region.
Sincerely,
Beth Brennan
Chairman