City of Astoria Nixes Support Letter for Arts Grant

City of Astoria Commissioners voted 3 to 2 yesterday not to write a letter of support for the Astoria Visual Arts organization with their application to the National Endowment for the Arts for an “Our Town” grant. Astoria Mayor Willis Van Dusen cited lack to time to adequately prepare a successful grant application.

VanDusen1.wav (:52)  “The City of Astoria has been very fortunate in being awarded a lot of different grants, and we have as a community, not just as the City of Astoria, as our community we have a very good reputation with applying for grants, securing the grants and then following through with the grants: and when the people who come back after the grant has been used and they say “What was done?” we have shown, time and time again we’ve used the grant well, and this just concerns me that we’re not, we haven’t done enough – we haven’t spent enough time on it, if it just started on the 13th of November, and here it is the end of December.  I would hate to rush into this and apply for a grant and as a community, not be able to follow through.”  

The grant would have assisted in adding live/work space for downtown artists, established and managed a dedicated exhibition and performance space and launched an Artists-in-Residence program in Astoria’s downtown core.  

Commissioners LaMear, and Roscoe voted for the motion, Commissioners Warr, Mellin and Mayor Van Dusen voted against.  Councilor Karin Mellin suggested re-applying for the grant at a later time.