Eastside School to be demolished, petition for just compensation

[dancinginthesnow]

Save your ballet school petition

We call on Sound Transit to do the right thing and provide just compensation for the full replacement cost of the Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s Francia Russell Center on the Eastside.

A beloved arts facility and cultural asset for the Eastside, the Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s Francia Russell Center will soon be demolished by Sound Transit to make way for new light rail tracks. Sound Transit has offered to pay nearly $5 million less than the cost to build a replacement school of the same size on the Eastside – while very supportive of public transit, PNB cannot afford to cover this cost.

As parents and supporters of PNB and its school, we call on Sound Transit to do the right thing and provide just compensation for the full replacement cost of the Francia Russell Center on the Eastside.

Without just compensation for the full replacement cost, the Francia Russell Center will close on the Eastside – depriving hundreds of students, families and our community of this beloved arts education facility and cultural asset.

Make your voice heard by signing and sharing our petition to call on Sound Transit to do the right thing and provide just compensation for the full replacement cost of the Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s Francia Russell Center on the Eastside.

Since 1986 PNB has operated a ballet school on the Eastside, which today serves a diverse constituency from all over the Eastside. The Francia Russell Center provides dance training for more than 600 students each year with a growing waitlist. PNB provides full and partial scholarships based on financial need to ensure that all students and families have access to programs at the school. The Francia Russell Center also hosts a summer arts education program to hundreds of Eastside students, provides low-cost studio rentals to dance companies, and hosts curriculum-based dance education at Eastside elementary schools during the academic year.

[Helene]

PNB sent out an email today urging people to sign.

[sandik]

Local news ran a piece on the late night program last night. They've know they would have to move for several years, but apparently the negotiating process has been dragging on. Now they have just about a year to get it all done.

[Helene]

Round one goes to Sound Transit: a judge has ruled that Sound Transit used the proper valuation basis -- is fair market value. Now it's up to a jury to decide, unless there is a settlement before trial, scheduled for June:

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/12161931/judge-sound-transit-may-use-fair-market-value-to-compensate-ballet-school

[sandik]

And they need to be out of the space by August 1, as I understand it. A tight schedule.