Graham, Donna
De SONATE IESE EE SEE ES
From: mtbfmtbf@gmail.com
Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2020 4:49 PM
To: Board of Aldermen
Subject: Performing Arts Center
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To the Board of Alderman,
It has come to my attention that tonight there will be a meeting of the budget committee on extending or lifting
the deadline requirement for fundraising for the Performing Arts Center. I have enthusiastically supported the
Performing Arts Center Project since the idea first became public, and was one of the citizen majority who
voted to approve it. A performing arts center would not only be a cultural boon for the city, but would be a
source of revenue for the city and for local businesses.
Whenever Great American Downtown sponsors a cultural event, there is an influx of visitors from surrounding
communities, from paid events like “A Taste of Downtown” to free events like “New Muse.” It matters not if it
is in winter, like the “Holiday Stroll,” or more temperate seasons, like the “Roots Festival.” For practical
reasons, however, few events are held in colder seasons. The Performing Arts Center will be a venue to attract
local and not so local patrons in all seasons.
While Nashua is a town with many advantages, one thing we lack is a regionally recognized performing arts
center, which could attract both local performers and bigger names. My family personally travels to Boston,
Lowell, Worcester, Hampton Beach, Concord (NH), Littleton (MA), even Portchester, New York to attend
music concerts and cultural events. Even many smaller towns have public or private cultural centers like
Tupelo’s in Derry and Bull Run in Shirley, MA and The Monadnock Center in Peterborough. These venues
draw audience from local and distant areas, and shows are routinely sold out. ] was recently at a concert at
Tupelo’s and spoke to a woman from Beverly, MA, over an hour away when it’s not rush hour. Nashua is so
strategically placed; a performing arts center will surely be as successful. I, for one, will appreciate not having
to drive to The Capital Center for the Performing Arts. A Nashua Performing Arts Center will be a source of
pride, as well as revenue, for our community.
It is my understanding that the architectural plans have been drawn up, and a significant portion of the
necessary private funds for this project have been raised, including a recent $250,000 pledge from Bank of
America. Perhaps the artificial threshold that was created after the public vote has not been reached, but it is
within sight. Please do not let the Performing Arts Center - so far along in its planning, and supported by so
many people - crash and fail. Please vote to eliminate, or to at least extend, the deadline for fundraising. The
next phase of fundraising - from small donors in the public, has not yet even begun.
Sincerely,
Mary Theresa Freund
3 Masefield Road
Nashua
