It was encouraging to your recent stories about plans for development of the dormant Fiesta Henderson site finally moving forward. On the other hand, it was discouraging to read the comment from a Henderson development official that consideration of a performance venue for the nationally acclaimed Henderson Symphony had not been part of the conversation with the developer.
In a city renowned as a safe place to live, and for its vast network of parks and recreation facilities, the one thing lacking for Henderson is a cultural identity. A permanent performing arts center on a small portion of the Fiesta site would go a long way toward addressing that deficiency.
And it may be Henderson’s last best chance to do so.
A performing arts center would be much more than just a home for the symphony. It would be a cultural hub to provide opportunities for music education, dance, theater and so much more. It would also be a venue for the community to rally around and support.
A good way to accomplish this would be for the developer to deed a small portion of the Fiesta acreage to a nonprofit entity, getting a tax break in the process. That entity would then be charged with developing the concept for a performing arts center, seeking sponsorships and naming rights and creating an overall plan with the goal of financial viability for the project.
