Susanville Performing Arts Center

07/27/2024

We greatly appreciate the friendly outreach we've received lately, with many offering to volunteer and assist in any way possible. We want to provide a quick update to assure you that the momentum is still building. At the most recent Symphony board meeting, a set of parameters for the S**C Task Force was reviewed, outlining the best ways we, as a community, can support the Symphony and contribute to the S**C's development. We are hopeful to finalize an official document very soon. With much gratitude, we will then reach out to discuss the next steps.

07/26/2024

The Symphony met with the city administrator for the City of Susanville and was informed that, at one of the upcoming council meetings, an ad hoc committee will be appointed to collaborate with the Symphony. This partnership between the Susanville Symphony and the City of Susanville will be a significant step on our journey toward establishing the Susanville Performing Arts Center.

Stay tuned…

07/04/2024

Tonight, the Susanville City Council unanimously voted to pay $450,000 towards the purchase of the Sierra Theatre for a performing arts center in Susanville.

Also today, The Susanville Symphony has accepted $450,000 in ARPA funds from the City of Susanville as the non-profit entity preferred to accept funding.

The Symphony will work as the umbrella agency and plans to create a task force of individuals to help with the planning and oversight of the Performing Arts Center.

Thank you for all of those that spoke up in person or in letter to show your support for the Performing Arts Center. Your passion and dedication demonstrated the power of voice.

Stay tuned for more to come…

06/21/2024

You Showed Up!

The turnout was historic, with an unprecedented number of residents, young and old, stepping up to the podium to express their support. It was a moment of unity and inspiration, a testament to what we can achieve together.

We are currently working behind the scenes with meetings scheduled with City Staff, stakeholders, and more. Mark your calendar for the next important City Council meeting, July 3rd. We still need their vote to approve funding.

Please stay posted. Our next big step is coming soon!

(📸: Quincy McCourt, Jacob Hibbitts)

**c

06/20/2024

We asked for a seat at the table.

The City of Susanville agreed to give the Symphony (the 501(c)3 on record) $450,000 contingent on meeting with City Staff and meeting the criteria they determine.

We asked for a seat at the table. We have one.

We want to thank this amazing community who rallied together to support S**C. You shared your heart. You demonstrated that we are a community whose culture is rich in the arts. The hard work is ahead and we need you!

But tonight….we rest. Keep following us for what's next.

06/19/2024

Email from a City of Susanville Resident, sent to City Council Members. Thank you for your support.
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To the Madam Mayor, Mayor Pro tem Brown, and Council members Bortle, Miller, Parrish, and Mr. Newton,

I am not able to attend the city council meeting tomorrow 6/19/2024 in person to comment regarding agenda topic "12.A Discussion regarding American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds", and wanted to send an email in lue of commenting publicly.

What I have seen occur in the last two months in our town has been inspirational. I have seen folks from ALL different types of backgrounds, race, gender, age, etc. come together in support of the project currently named the Susanville Performing Arts Center (S**C). After reviewing all of what is being presented to Council for this item and the staff report, I strongly suggest that the Council support S**C and their endeavor towards creating a performing arts center for Susanville and Lassen County. I am sure they will be presenting their business plan and answering any additional questions that you may have, so I will not belabor every single reason for why this project should be supported, but their business plan appears to be exactly what the council requested a few months ago, and is highly supported by MANY organizations, the Rancheria, and individuals in town. It is not the one and only solution to Susanville's economic hardship, but it sure looks to be a piece of the puzzle that a large portion of the community has rallied behind.

While I do see the need for appropriate storage for museum belongings and historically significant items, as well as bathrooms for Little League fields, neither of those projects will create any significant revenue or economic development for our city, and does not appear to have a way of increasing travel to our town from outside communities. And while the Elk's Lodge is in desperate need of repair, their business plan severely lacks any sort of financial plan for how the organization will bring in revenue and what those predicted financials may be over the next 5 years, other than a single paragraph on page one, or how they will use those funds to make sure that the building will be able to be repaired in the future if, and most definitely when, they will be needed again. Even though they do not have as robust of a business plan, as I would assume that City Council and the public would like to see, I do agree that ARPA funds should be used towards their plight and help to restore the crumbling building in hopes to keep an icon of the city in working order for future generations.

I do NOT agree with these funds going towards purchasing a new fire engine. There should have been (and I assume and hope that there is) planning and saving for this type of standard expense that should be allocated for over many years in yearly budgets. There has already been a large amount of ARPA funds spent to cover the city's costs to repair multiple city buildings, a general plan update, and marketing plan. Other than the marketing portion of the ARPA funds expended recently, each and every one of those expenses should have been PLANNED for using tax revenue and other fees that the city collects and should not have been dependent on a one-time disbursement of funds that no-one could have ever planned for (same for the City Hall debt repayment). The same goes for replacement of a fire engine. I hope it goes without saying that I and the community greatly appreciate the fire department and all that they do for this town, but it does not excuse the fact that the engine should be financed in another manner, especially to the tune of $800,000.00, when that money should be put towards increased the economic viability of this town through other projects presented for council consideration.

I want Susanville to be a place that is not only somewhere that I enjoy raising my children in, but somewhere that they want to stay, and to do that, we need more life, vibrancy, and community to bring us all together, and the Susanville Performing Arts Center is a wonderful start to trying something new and creating new life in Uptown that we all so desperately need.

Without funding the engine purchase, City Hall debt repayment, and museum storage building, there are enough ARPA Funds to almost fully fund every other project on the Staff report list. I hope that you direct staff to pursue those projects and not ones that the City should have been saving for and planned for.

Thank you for your time and service to our community.

06/19/2024

Thank you ! You have given our community a gift with dance! Your support S**C is one of the driving reason we have to move forward. Together we develop community.

**c

06/19/2024

Thank you Fair Winds Reiki & Mindfulness!

Fair Winds will be closing at 4pm today to get ready for the Susanville City Council meeting this evening where they will be discussing ARPA funds.

If you plan to be there, you'll hear some or all of what's to follow here, but if not, you may wonder why I've been so passionate about S**C (Susanville Performing Arts Center) and the arts in Susanville. Here's a small part of my story:

I was born and raised here in Susanville, and much of that time, I didn't feel safe. It was a time when, for the most part, boys were taught that they could do anything, and girls were taught to be quiet. I spent much of my childhood trying to be invisible and scanning my surroundings for danger.

One place I did feel safe was in the arts. Creative writing and fine art classes were a refuge for me. I could let down my guard and immerse myself in creative expression. There, I learned how to face a challenge, how to use creative thinking to solve problems, and how to value myself. I found my voice.

Susanville's history, location, and people make it unique enough to draw visitors. Our community has so much talent to share and so many stories to tell, but we need a place to do that.

Funding for S**C wouldn't be coming out of the city's pockets. These ARPA funds have been provided to help communities recover from losses during the pandemic and create a vibrant future. With one project, we have the chance to support a local business that took major hits during Covid (there were no remote offices or curbside pick-up for theaters), preserve a piece of Susanville's history, and most importantly, give our community and our children a safe place to shine.

06/19/2024

Thank you .family.services ! You truly understand that art is a place of refuge. Your support defines community development. We are stronger together.

**c

06/19/2024

Thank you ! Thank you for taking our community project seriously! We appreciate our community bank!!

**c