For 40-plus years we’ve been Vashon Islanders and have loved living here. We still do. During those years we’ve enjoyed many of VAA’s performances, programs and lectures. A performing arts center has been an ongoing wish of ours. So we are very excited about the possibility of having one; we think it is well past due. It is our opinion that the location is perfect — in the center of the Island and close to the school campus.

We appreciate the history of Center as an early hub of community life. When we moved to the Island, we knew the Old Fuller Store as the Therkelson House and the roasterie as the Country Store. We certainly agree that these buildings should be preserved because of their historical and architectural significance, but not so with the McFeeds building, formerly an auto repair garage. All over the Island there is a mix of old and new buildings that exist happily side-by-side.

When traveling around the Island, one cannot help but notice this diversity. It’s a part of the Island’s culture that we appreciate.

We don’t feel that the scale of the planned VAA building diminishes the other historic buildings at Center; the two-story Fuller Store is about the same height as the planned performing arts facility, and the roasterie and Mitchell buildings, when combined, are about as long. The Island’s first school was located at Center; its educational legacy will continue with an arts center. Its central Island location will be convenient for all age groups, both performers and those of us in the audience.

We’re looking forward to being able to attend programs at the new arts center. We think that it will honor the past and set a path to the future. We urge Islanders to join us in lending your support, vocally and financially, to this exciting endeavor.

— IdaGay and Tom Nicolino