I want to clear up misleading information in recent letters about Sun City’s proposed Performing Arts Center. Having been on both PAC ad hoc committees, testifying at least a half-dozen times, I am familiar with what’s happening.
First, Sun City West’s theater is not a bust; what people must be referring to is the older theater that held several thousand people. That has been shut down for years and SCW’s current theater is doing just fine.
We are not looking for several thousand seats in Sun City, more like 300 to 400 is what’s being proposed.
Next is the mission of finding a home and a building. The PAC is not going to Bell nor Sundial centers. Anyone who thinks Sundial will work has not been involved with a club needing to schedule dates at this facility. My wife has been doing this for our club for the last two years. Sundial is out of the question for that very reason.
Next is that only the theatre company will use this proposed building. Not true; there are at least six other groups that can use a theater.
Our mission on both ad hoc committees was to find a home with theater-style seating. We are not looking to put people in folding chairs for several hours, so forget using any existing building.
The last committee had a plan within budget, Plan M, which called for:
• Rehabbing Mountain View’s theater building, removing the two tennis courts and installing six new pickleball courts.
• Using the current exercise building, expanding the space to where the hot tub used to be and doubling its size without tearing the building down.
• Installing a hot tub out near the current pool. No tearing up lawn bowling, mini golf or any other facility.
We would have something going if it wasn’t for the pickleball people wanting more courts than six and proposing an indoor, air-conditioned building paid for by the rest of us.
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