"The Mirror Theater is a Gift"

Over the next week, as we approach our Development Review Board hearing, we thought we'd share some letters in support of Mirror Theater Ltd/GAAR. The first is from David Kelley, the Chair of our Advisory Board.

"Friends and Neighbors,

I served as the General Counsel to the Vermont Ski Areas Association for 25 years. As a result, I worked extensively with Vermont's land use planning and permitting process. One of the inevitable consequences of a multiple layered permitting process is that when a project is reviewed by State agencies, multiple review panels and critics, it undergoes minor changes. A handful of critics of the proposed performing arts center now seeks to use those changes to stop or redesign the project. The irony is that some of the changes they cite were made to satisfy their criticism.

The Mirror Theater is a gift of which most towns in Vermont could only dream. It has been designed by some of the most respected architects in the world (the theater at Middlebury College is an example of their work). It provides a venue to nurture a rich tradition of commitment to the arts. Just as importantly, as we seek to create educational opportunities beyond the walls of the traditional school house and to imagine larger communities of learning, the Mirror Theater provides students from Orleans and Caledonia Counties with a precious academic resource. But, as Abe Lincoln once said, “You can't please all the people all the time.” Despite one of the most comprehensive permit review processes in the country, this handful of critics has now hired an attorney to stop or re-design the center. To do so at this point would be a disastrous mistake.

I am writing to ask, that if you support this project, that you take a minute and say so. Your note doesn't need to be long--a few sentences of support can be important. If possible please scan your letter and email it to lily@mirrorarts.org or mail it to:

GAAR
PO BOX 304
GREENSBORO, VT 05841

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Dave Kelley"