Open letter to fellow citizens of Nelson.
It is so disappointing that city council would consider renovating the Civic Theatre as a sports facility. I had assumed council was working to get the theatre re-opened.
The Civic Theatre is a community amenity like the library or a park. Correspondence in the papers indicates that the majority of us are in favour of keeping the Civic Theatre open and a poll by the Nelson Star found approximately three to one for people who would like to re-open the theatre as opposed to use it for something else.
Everyone supports sports, but in the couple of blocks around the Civic Centre we already have a pool, curling rink, weight rooms, hockey rink, skating rink, gymnasiums, yoga studios, indoor soccer... tons of sports facilities. For non-sports minded citizens there are few options.
At present we have to drive to another community to see a movie or watch one at home, neither of which is as good as seeing a movie in a local theatre. We are lucky to have a building suited to showing movies. It needs upgrades but it is a classic building, centrally located, close to downtown restaurants, where movie goers could go before or after a film. At the moment, sadly, in my household we give our movie dinner dollars to Boston Pizza in Castlegar. And the movie theatre upgrade would tie in well with planned re-development (by the Kootenay Co-op) of the lot across the street on Vernon Street.
If anyone knows of an association working towards re-opening the Civic Theatre or would like to start one, please contact me.
Jane Miller
Nelson