smaller professional offerings to the city, at what cost to existing successful arts machines in
the city who cannot use such a venue fully at such an enormous cost?
Imagine sucha vision: a stunning new architectural glass enclosure flanking the current front
and entire left side (enclosing the entire pillared entrance but allowing for a modern foyer, coat
room and audience gathering space, new restrooms and a possible café?) — The opportunity to
reconfigure the Keefe Auditorium to both modern seating standards (reducing capacity) and
possible designing retractable walls to close the balcony, etc. for smaller arts events. (Or even
acoustically alter the space for when lesser reverb is wished) — The chance to build a proper
orchestra pit and expand wing and backstage space in an almost limitless fashion for a true
Performing Arts Mecca for the city. To serve revitalization downtown and also keep the
footprint of downtown from the Plaza to the top of Concord St? — Not simply down to City Hall
and “we’re done.” — This is vision. This is something to get excited about.
The initial excitement for a new PAC downtown began to wane in arts circles here, in my
opinion, when compromises were made to keep costs down. SPEND that extra $10 million and
build it right, once! — Look at your high schools. Both with mediocre performance auditoriums,
when clearly the newer school could have had a much more substantial performance space
which could have fulfilled such a need. But that point is long moot.
In the same way an 18-month extension was given to initial fundraising to plant the seed
money needed for this project, | personally implore the board to allow itself the extra time to
have the city explore Keefe as an option, now that this is suddenly on the table, and not make a
rash decision for a design at the ALEC site that will not serve the needs of a// performing arts for
the coming generations.
With the known fiscal crisis of city employee’s insurance, a new Middle School on the horizon
and those immense costs, an unknown fate of the Tannery property possibly needing taxpayer
assistance for clean-up, the public support of this “PAC” project is at a low in the community.
Many cannot tell you exactly why. But here on an artistic level, from a local resident working
ardently in many genres of the Performing Arts industry worldwide, perhaps, please... take a
step back to evaluate, but not kill the project. Make sure the right decision is made to support
the Arts properly for the long term. Something Nashua can be excited about. All of Nashua.
Without any offense to multiple people | know personally on a few of these Commissions:
please, guys — do the right thing for the project, and not just make sure there |S a project.
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph R. Olefirowicz
(electronic e-mail signature)
35 Newbury Street
Nashua, NH 03060
Disclaimer: the contents of this mail do NOT represent the opinion of The First Church of Nashua or the First Music Concert Series and are solely
the personal opinion of Joseph R. Olefirowicz.
