The Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild has a vision for what could be the city’s first cultural art center, but it won’t come without barriers.
“We think this will be the crown jewel of our city,” said Jenny Wood, grant writer and fundraiser for the theater guild. “It will help create a night life in our town.”
After almost five years of planning, purposing and raising funds, the theater guild is launching a Gofundme campaign with the hope of raising $200,000 by May 8. At a recent Scotts Valley city council meeting, the guild was challenged to raise at least $200,000 by the end of July.
The proposed theater, located at 251 Kings Village Road, occupies the south end of the Scotts Valley Library, or 13,150 square feet. The city purchased the building, which had formerly been a sports center and, before that, a roller rink. The new library opened in June 2011.
The theater guild leased the building from the city for $1 a year with the leasing expiring late last year. Since then the city has agreed to extend the lease by six months to see if the guild can raise the $200,000 and the council is exploring a proposal to explore a partnership between the theater project and the library to create a City Cultural Arts Center.
The goal was set by the city council to show whether or not there was ample community support. Members of the theater guild board are proposing a way to work with the Library Financial Authority bond counsel and utilize the Measure S funds designated for the library.
“Some people feared that this would be outside the scope of what Measure S funds were to be used for,” said Wood. “But what the guild is hoping is to design the plan under the umbrella of the library with the theater as part of it to qualify to use the funds.”
To date the guild has raised $380,000 in cash and pledges, according to Jenny Wood, the grant writer and fundraiser for the theater guild. Measure S designated an estimated $3 million to the Scotts Valley library. According to Wood, the concept the guild is hoping to propose for the cultural art center would include a maker’s lab, a possible coffee shop, a patio and space for a stage plus lobby area.
The next step following the Gofundme campaign, according to Wood, is for the theater guild board to meet with Scotts Valley City Manager Jenny Haruyama and representatives from the Scotts Valley Library to discuss the new engineer drawings.
If the city council decides to not go forward and approve the project, the guild would look at other venues. But according to Wood, the space next to the library is most ideal because of its central location.
The guild is hosting a launch party for the GoFundme campaign on April 27 at Togo’s on Mt. Hermon Road in Scotts Valley. Any purchase made from 3 p.m. to close, Togo’s will donate 20 percent of the proceeds to the theater guild. The guild has already received donations from Zinnia’s and Christian Youth Theater.
To donate to the campaign visit: www.gofundme.com.
