Hoboken Arts Foundation announces:

Dear Friend,

As you may be aware, an Arts Center was approved several years ago as part of the NW Redevelopment Plan. As we learned more about the technical requirements needed to make the Hoboken Arts Center a complete success, the original plan needed to be amended. To this end, a resolution to enter into an “interim cost agreement” for the Hoboken Arts Center is on the agenda for the CITY COUNCIL MEETING on APRIL 20th , next Wednesday evening. This is an important step toward final approval.

Your presence and support at this meeting is essential to moving this project forward.  The meeting is on the main floor of City Hall, 7PM – 11PM.  Please get there by 7PM to sign up to speak.  If you support the arts, economic development, jobs and state-of-the-art schools, City Council members need to hear from you!

Details of the proposed venue:

• Location: 10th and Madison 
• Size:  5 story Arts Center 
• Professional exhibition space 
• Professional theater space. The theater will be flexible with scalable indoor seating for up to 500 people and the ability to accommodate up to 1,800 people SRO with its combined indoor and outdoor space.  The outdoor space is a 5,250 sq. ft. lawn which will serve as a park and as programmable outdoor space.    
• Professional recording studio (Water Music) 
• Programming includes but is not limited to the exhibition arts, arts education, dance, theater, concerts, festivals, meeting space and rehearsal and studio space.
• Community access for meetings, fund raisers, private and public events
• The building will have additional stories that will be available to the many schools in Hoboken running out of space.

Benefits to Hoboken:

• The “Americans for Arts” calculator shows that the total annual contribution to the Hoboken economy will be nearly $18 million dollars. $700,000 will be paid directly to the City.  
• Over 100 jobs will be created in the Arts Center alone.  This includes professional jobs (curators, talent managers, marketing professionals, promoters, Arts Center executives etc.); technicaljobs (staging, lighting, sound, electricians etc.); artists (actors, writers, dancers, musicians, directors, photographers etc.); support staff (administration, janitorial, parking attendants etc.)
• Additional jobs will be created within the community. One sector that will directly benefit is retail and food establishments. Research has shown that 60% of people who go to the theater go to dinner before the show. 55% of concert goers buy something from the performer or venue equal to or greater than the ticket price!

Hoboken has a long, rich history of promoting and supporting the arts. Now is the time to revive Hoboken as a center of excellence for the arts. Economically and culturally, Hoboken wins!

Thank you,
Board of Trustees, Hoboken Arts Center Foundation, Inc.


P.S. – While your attendance preferred, we understand that you may have other commitments and may not be able to make the meeting. If that is the case, please consider emailing Council members affirming your support.  Feel free to cc Mayor Zimmer.  Emails are:

1. Mayor Dawn Zimmer – dzimmer@hobokennj.org
2. Dave Mello – MelloForHoboken@gmail.com
3. Ravi Bhalla – rbhalla@rsblawfirm.com
4. Carol Marsh – cmarsh@hobokennj.org
5. Mike Russo – councilmanrusso@aol.com
6. Tim Occhipinti – timothy.occhipinti@gmail.com
7. Theresa Castellano – email@castellanoforhoboken.com
8. Peter Cunningham – cunninghamforhoboken@gmail.com
9. Beth Mason – beth@masoncitycouncil.org
10. Nino Giacchi – mgiacchi@juno.com