Lacey set to allocate its free day at the Washington Center

The Lacey City Council is set to award a free day of use at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts to a local nonprofit organization.

During a council work session on August 27, city officials discussed the application process and criteria for selecting the recipient.

Each year, the city is granted two free days of use at The Washington Center. One day is reserved for an equity event. The remaining day is awarded to a nonprofit through an application process open from January through July.

This year, the city received five applications from local organizations, including the Olympia Waldorf School, Olympia Chorus, Boys & Girls Club of Thurston County, 4 the Love Foundation, and Capital City Chorus of Olympia.

The council discussed factors such as the applicants' presence in Lacey, the community impact of the proposed events, and whether the events would be open to the public.

While the council did not make a final decision during the meeting, members expressed interest in inviting the applicants to present their proposals at an upcoming work session to allow the council to gather more information before selecting the recipient. Here are the proposals:

• The Olympia Waldorf School proposes using the day for its annual middle school play, involving 50 students from pre-K through 8th grade.
• The Olympia Chorus seeks to celebrate its 60th anniversary with a concert.
• The Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County hopes to host a movie screening and musical performance by club members.
• The 4 the Love Foundation wants to hold a comedy event at the facility.
• The Capital City Chorus proposes a summer sing-along event, having started in 2018 and maintained operations through the pandemic.

Council members acknowledged the need to improve outreach and increase the number of applications received in future years. With only five submissions this cycle, some members felt there may be more Lacey-based nonprofits interested in utilizing the Washington Center opportunity.

The council is expected to decide on the 2025 Washington Center award at its next meeting on September 3.

The selected nonprofit will be required to recognize the city as a sponsor and provide a report on attendance and participation.

They will also be responsible for covering all labor and production expenses, with the free day covering the venue rental.