It’s awesome that Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer recently announced what the City of Hoboken website called, “A variety of initiatives her Administration has been pursuing to preserve and protect existing artists and expand and promote the arts within Hoboken.” Now comes the time to find out if she really means it.
At next Wednesday’s City Council meeting (April 20th, at 7 PM), Mayor Zimmer is going to sponsor a resolution at the City Council meeting to move the Hoboken Arts Center project forward. This is major step toward the final approval process.
History:
The building of the Hoboken Arts Center was actually approved several years ago as part of Hoboken’s Northwest Redevelopment Plan. As more was learned about the technical requirements needed to make the venue a complete success, the original plan needed to be amended. To this end, a resolution to enter into what is known as an “interim cost agreement” for the Hoboken Arts Center is on the agenda for the City Council meeting on Wednesday April 20, 2011 at 7:00PM at Hoboken City Hall.
This is crucial in getting the Arts Center to actually, finally break ground and your support is greatly needed to cheer the project on.
If you support the arts, economic development, jobs and state-of-the-art schools, City Council members need to hear from you! If you want to see Hoboken regain it’s reputation as a cultural center, your presence and support at this meeting — which will be held on the main floor of City Hall (94 Washington St. Hoboken) from 7PM – 11PM — is essential. Please get there by 7PM to sign up to speak.
Venue Details:
- Location: 10th and Madison
- Size: 5 story Arts Center
- Professional exhibition space
- Professional theater space. The theater will be flexible with scalable indoor seating for up to 500 people and the ability to accommodate up to 1,800 people SRO with its combined indoor and outdoor space. The outdoor space is a 5,250 sq. ft. lawn which will serve as a park and as programmable outdoor space.
- Professional recording studio (Water Music)
- Programming includes but is not limited to the exhibition arts, arts education, dance, theater, concerts, festivals, meeting space and rehearsal and studio space.
- Community access for meetings, fund raisers, private and public events.
- The building will have additional stories that will be available to the many schools in Hoboken running out of space.
Benefits to Hoboken:
- An Americans for Arts report shows that the total annual contribution to the Hoboken economy will be nearly $18 million dollars. $700,000 will be paid directly to the City.
- Over 100 jobs will be created in the Arts Center alone. This includes professional jobs (curators, talent managers, marketing professionals, promoters, Arts Center executives etc.); technical jobs (staging, lighting, sound, electricians etc.); artists (actors, writers, dancers, musicians, directors, photographers etc.); support staff (administration, janitorial, parking attendants etc.)
- Additional jobs will be created within the community. One sector that will directly benefit is retail and food establishments. Research has shown that 60% of people who go to the theater go to dinner before the show. 55% of concert goers buy something from the performer or venue equal to or greater than the ticket price!
Hoboken has a long, rich history of promoting and supporting the arts. Now is the time to revive Hoboken as a center of excellence for the arts.
Economically and culturally, Hoboken wins!
While your attendance preferred, some of you may have other commitments and cannot make the meeting. If that is the case, please consider emailing Council members and the Mayor affirming your support:
- Mayor Dawn Zimmer – dzimmer@hobokennj.org
- Dave Mello – MelloForHoboken@gmail.com
- Ravi Bhalla – rbhalla@rsblawfirm.com
- Carol Marsh – cmarsh@hobokennj.org
- Mike Russo – councilmanrusso@aol.com
- Tim Occhipinti – timothy.occhipinti@gmail.com
- Theresa Castellano – email@castellanoforhoboken.com
- Peter Cunningham – cunninghamforhoboken@gmail.com
- Beth Mason – beth@masoncitycouncil.org
- Nino Giacchi – mgiacchi@juno.com
See Also:
Mayor Zimmer Highlights Efforts to Preserve and Expand the Arts
Hoboken Arts Center
