PORT ANGELES — Dignitaries armed with scissors stood before a crowd of about 100 on Friday and cut a ribbon to dedicate Peninsula College’s newest addition.
The $36 million Maier Hall was christened in a sun-splashed ceremony at the Port Angeles campus.
The building will house art, math, liberal arts and music programs when it opens for classes Monday.
It also boasts a 131-seat performance hall, in which the inaugural concert was presented at 7 p.m. Friday.
“I think it’s fitting on the college’s 50th anniversary that we celebrate our newest and most expansive building, named after our first president, E. John Maier, who led the planning and construction of the original campus,” said Tom Keegan, Peninsula College president.
Speakers at the 45-minute ceremony included state Reps. Kevin Van De Wege and Steve Tharinger and Schuyler Hoss, Gov. Chris Gregoire’s Southwest Washington regional representative.
The 62,950-square-foot Maier Hall was completed in April. It replaces the old Maier Hall and three other buildings.
“Just last week, we were both here in Port Angeles celebrating the deconstruction of the Elwha Dam,” said Hoss, before reading a letter from the governor.
“Here, we’re talking about the building of something new and important. Yet both these events are related.
“This community decided to take back its natural environment, its beauty, its scenic wonders and the economic opportunities associated with the opening-up of one of the world’s most beautiful watersheds,” Hoss said, referring to the $325 million Elwha River restoration, which includes taking down the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams.
“Today, we’re making an investment in the culture, the arts, the vibrancy, the education and passion of the community.”
In her letter, Gregoire wrote that the new building “will be the hub of campus activity.
“I have every confidence that it will serve students, facility and the community for many, many years to come,” Gregoire wrote.
Van De Wege and Tharinger, both of whom represent the North Olympic Peninsula’s 24th District, discussed the importance of education in a tough economy.
“We are in deep throes of a bad recession, and education is a great equalizer,” Van De Wege said.
“Education is what is going to be the backbone that will hopefully get us out of this recession by creating jobs and retraining folks,” he added.
“I hope this facility will lead the effort in doing that.”
Van De Wege and Tharinger will join their colleagues in Olympia for a special legislative session this fall to scale back the state budget even further.
“In these difficult times, we need to be strategic, certainly, and be very wise about how we make our investments,” Tharinger said.
“But I think that it’s not the time not to make those investments.”
After the ceremony, the crowd filed into the building for self-guided tours.
Later on Friday, the first concert was held in Maier Hall’s performance hall on the ground floor.
Performers included the Peninsula College Jazz Ensemble and classical chamber musicians from throughout the Peninsula.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
