PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Theatre Project has named five new members to its board of directors to work toward its mission to “Light Up the Lincoln.”
They are:
■ Mindy Gelder, an actress and co-owner of New Growth Behavioral Health.
■ Mathew Rainwater, agent, U.S. Border Patrol.
■ Deborah Spinks, Realtor and partner at JACE Real Estate.
■ Sarah Tucker, performance and visual artist, director and producer.
■ Michael Gentry, architect.
Gentry will step down when a new director is chosen but will continue as its architectural adviser.
Already announced
They join the previously announced:
■ John Brewer, former publisher of the Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum.
■ Scott Nagel, executive director of the Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival and executive producer of the Port Angeles Theatre Project. He has worked throughout this year on saving the shuttered theater, which closed in March 2014.
■ Michael McQuay, chef and owner of Kokopelli Grill and Coyote Pub.
The group is the result of six months of recruiting and selecting, said Nagel and his wife, Karen Powell, consultant to the board.
The project will interview candidates and add up to four more members during 2016. Applicants should contact Nagel. Applications and details are online at www.revitalizeportangeles.org/light-up-the-lincoln.html.
The board will have its organizational meeting sometime after Jan. 1, said Brewer, “see where we are with the money and see what the next steps are.”
Nagel and the directors are calling in the $185,000 pledged toward the $235,000 cost of buying the theater, 132 E. First St., from Sun Basin Theatres, its Wenatchee-based owner.
Performing arts
Their next goal is to develop the 98-year-old movie house into a performing arts center that would include a motion-picture house, cabaret, music stage and live drama venue.
Until it secures its own tax-exempt status, the project is operating under the wing of the established Olympic View Community Foundation, allowing donors to deduct contributions on their 2015 income tax returns.
As for the new directors, Powell called them “a wonderful group of people representing the community, the business sector, and, of course, the performing arts who showed real interest in serving the community in this capacity.
“It was difficult picking just these individuals and it will be an honor to work with all of them.”
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Reporter James Casey can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jcasey@peninsuladailynews.com.
