06/17/2024
Thank you, Randy Robbins Photography.
There's a local thing going on that I'd love to talk about a little bit... first, the oversimplified backstory for the non-locals: The city of Susanville has a chunk of money to spend. It's ARPA funding (American Rescue Plan Act... Covid recovery funds). Susanville has plenty of places where money could be well spent... there are struggling businesses, infrastructure needs, etc. The clock is ticking on these funds, and the money needs to be spent. There have been a few groups who have asked City Council for a chunk of this money... the most vocal, most ambitious, and most eyebrow-raising request has come from the newly formed Susanville Performing Arts Center group, and the plan involves the purchase of the Sierra Theater building, renovating it and turning it into a performing arts center for our small town (something we've never had and have always needed). The current owners are selling, and the building will be vacant in August if it is not purchased. It's opened a great conversation locally. There is a Susanville City Council Meetings meeting this coming Wednesday with this item on the agenda, and a lot of folks are planning to be there to express their support (and I assume opposition) to this use of this funding. I have told a few people I'd be happy to come speak, and I just realized today that that is not going to happen since I'm going to be out of town that evening. My amazingly articulate wife will be there to speak on our behalf, which is probably better anyway 😜. But I wanted to put some thoughts down here because this will probably reach the same (or more) ears.
Much of the conversation about this idea has centered around Susanville's uptown area on Main Street, where there are several vacant buildings that the current economy is keeping empty. No one wants to see another one, especially this amazing historic theater building. This hits close to home for me, since my wife and I bought one of those vacant buildings last year, and are putting the finishing touches on it currently (it's in this photo in mid paint job, across main street over there with the last remnant of red stripe visible from when Verizon was in there before it sat empty for a couple years). It gives us a huge amount of satisfaction to contribute a little bit of beauty to this uptown area, and to contribute to a sense of pride in our community. Part of that building houses my photo gallery, which was a ridiculous undertaking to even think about opening in this town at this time, in this economy, in this forgotten corner of the state. But I don't want a photo gallery in Tahoe, or Reno, or Mammoth... MY community is Susanville. I want to showcase the beauty of this place, in this place. I'm sure plenty of local people have predicted the rapid closure and failure of my business. Because that's what we do here... we talk about what won't work and why something is a dumb idea, because we know better. I moved here in 1986 and that's one thing that has never changed about this place 😆. So you say Susanville can't support a photo gallery. OK, maybe not. But I can. And I will continue to, because I love this place. I have decided to make uptown better than it was before I was involved, because it's something I can do to make Susanville better, even if it costs me some money. I'm coming up on 1 year of being open, and so far the ridiculous project has been a pretty solid success. It turns out people like artistic stuff. A photo gallery is on the fringes of what live shows, music, a home for the performing arts would also offer. And guess what? People make the trip to Susanville to stare at my pictures from all over. We don't think about Reno people coming here for stuff... we go to Reno for everything. Why would they come here? Well, they're coming here to stare at pictures, I can tell you that. Folks from Redding, Carson City, Sacramento, foothill towns... and plenty of "LA to Oregon" traffic making the detour to the 'Ville to come check out the gallery. They're buying stuff, and they're going to whatever restaurant I tell them to, and checking out whatever I suggest in town while they're here. They're spending money here. I'm one person, with just a little bit of "the arts," and they're coming. I can easily see the huge potential boost to the local economy that this project would undoubtedly provide. My business would benefit hugely from it, without seeing a penny of the actual ARPA funding. The whole town would. It's easy for me to see the vision because I have some skin in the game, as well as kids who have grown up here involved in the arts... Best of Broadway, Dance Recitals... my oldest played at the last symphony concert. A home for this type of thing would be amazing (and I'll say it even though some defend the place... the Vet's hall is absolutely HORRIBLE! It's falling apart, there's no air conditioning, they don't even want people there rehearsing during business hours and they're not shy about yelling at moms when they're too loud in the lobby, I've heard it... parents go in there and suffer through 90 degree temps and plastic chairs strictly because they love their kids... I will avoid going to a show that my kids are not in every single time if it's held in that building. We all know it. It's built of asbestos and sweat, and will never be what the Sierra Theater could be).
There's talk about other uses for this funding... and they're not bad ideas. But THIS idea, and these people, have put in the work. There is huge public support, and it's well beyond "we should build a _______", which is as far as any other “plan” has gotten. There's a business plan, there's available resources, there's a need, and there's an obvious outcome in the exact direction that these funds were designed to provide. The "new" theater could continue to thrive, this historic fixture in uptown would remain utilized, and local businesses, hotels, and restaurants would reap the long term benefits. This would benefit our town hugely, which would benefit you regardless of whether you like concerts, or have kids involved in performing arts, or will ever even set foot in the doors. It's the obvious use for these funds in my humble (correct) opinion. For whatever it's worth, I'm all in in my support of this venture. City Council, spend the money. The people want it, Susanville needs it.
