Surprise in grant application

The Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA) application to 4Culture, the cultural services agency for King County, included a line item for a contribution from the city of Mercer Island. But the City Council has never publicly proposed, nor voted on, a donation to the MICA construction fund.

4Culture is the cultural services agency for King County, and MICA applied for $1.25 million from their Building for Culture program. The Facilities Project Budget “Cash Income” column of the application included this entry: “City of Mercer Island: $2,000,000.00.”

The MICA website states that MICA needs to raise “at least $25 million” and that “Nearly all of the funding will come from private individuals and foundations.” No mention is made of the $2 million donation expected from the city of Mercer Island.

This came as a complete surprise. How can MICA include a $2 million donation from the city of Mercer Island to their building fund without anyone (not even the City Council members?) knowing about it? The MICA website makes no mention of an expected donation from the city. And the city has never publicly proposed nor approved a donation of this magnitude (in fact any donation which will come from taxpayers?) We need more transparency about the costs that taxpayers will incur for this project. The City should not sign a lease, which MICA has asked them to sign, until Citizens are fully informed and have an opportunity to approve MICA through a Citizens Advisory Vote.

The City Council has acknowledged that serious financial challenges lie ahead. This is no time to be signing up for big, and undetermined, financial obligations.

Al Lippert

MICA follows standard fundraising procedures

A line item in MICA’s grant application to King County’s 4Culture has raised questions about public funding projections for the Mercer Island Center for the Arts.

Grant applicants are commonly asked to project all possible sources for final funding in their applications. These projections reflect potential support, especially in the early stages of a campaign. The $2 million line item associated with the city of Mercer Island in the 4Culture grant application reflected the potential that there may be a component of civic funding, as is common in most public-benefit projects. The inclusion of the city of Mercer Island in the grant application as a potential future funder does not represent any official commitment from the city of Mercer Island.

The MICA board is a group of dedicated volunteers working together with the greater community to create a cultural gathering place that will enrich the Town Center with positive economic impact and vitality. MICA will also provide a permanent home for Youth Theatre Northwest, assuring its continued presence on the Island.  Every member of the board is donating their time and money in an effort to build the art center that will enhance the quality of life and civic offerings on the Island. The board is aware of the great public interest in the creation of MICA, and continues to listen and learn from the community’s questions and comments on the project.

The new year will bring many more opportunities for community feedback and involvement, and MICA will be introducing and inviting new opportunities for participation in creating the cultural center for the community. Please visit the MICA website mercerislandarts.org for more information and answers to many common questions.

John Gordon Hill

MICA Board President