ASPEN, Colo.—To protect amenities against the elements, a tarp donated by a World Series-winning manager that is as big as a baseball field is hard to beat.
But Theatre Aspen wants to swing for the fences. Its proposal to construct a nearly 2,000-square-foot, 24-foot-high permanent lobby in Rio Grande Park took a big step forward when the Aspen Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council approve the nonprofit group’s plan.
First, though, about that tarp.
Paige Price, Theatre Aspen’s artistic director, said she and officials were discussing awhile back how best to protect the venue’s 180 seats and its stage before winter sets in.
The need to protect areas for the audience and thespians, along with the tent structure, arose after the City Council in September granted the group a temporary use permit. That allowed the infrastructure to remain in place through the winter. It will be a test run to gauge people’s reactions to the items being left in place year-round.
After getting the permit, discussion about how best to shield the stage and seats turned to tarps used in stadiums, Price said.
She sang at an animal rescue benefit in northern California that was organized by Tony La Russa, who retired as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals shortly after they won it all in late October. Price described him as an “old friend” and said she called him before the team’s World Series-winning run to inquire about a tarp.
“He said, ‘I’ll call you back,'” Price said.
Soon after, the gigantic tarp was delivered. “It’s my gift,” the now-former manager told her.
Theatre Aspen has since moved on to getting its year-round plans approved by council. Leaving the tent structure, the seats and the stage at Rio Grande Park, where the group has had a presence since 1989, will cut down on the truck trips that are needed to erect and dismantle the infrastructure every spring and fall, respectively, commissioners were told.
Setting up the tent and tearing it down involves some 48 truck trips annually into the park. Leaving the tent, sans the sides and roof, and the stage and seating in place will result in less wear and tear on the park, Theatre Aspen says in its application.
The planned lobby will also give the group a permanent presence in Aspen, proponents say, and will work in concert with plans from the city’s parks department to improve access to the nearby John Denver Sanctuary.
The lobby footprint would be similar to the temporary space erected every spring, according to the land-use application. Theatre Aspen in January signed with the city a 10-year lease for its Rio Grande space that can be renewed, said the nonprofit’s managing director, Emily Zeck.
Aspen architect Charles Cunniffe, who is designing the lobby, told the planning and zoning board that the goal is to make a good home for Theatre Aspen. He called the area, given the nearby John Denver Sanctuary, a “sacred area.”
Planning and Zoning commissioner Jasmine Tygre said she was concerned about whether the original, voter-approved ballot language approving the purchase of Rio Grande Park allowed the use sought by Theatre Aspen.
Other commissioners agreed, and said their vote was contingent on city planners ascertaining that the electorate approved such a use.
Paige said she expected Theatre Aspen’s application to go before City Council early next year.
I’m especially heartened by (Tygre), who said that we’ve earned our place in the park,” Paige said. “I think we’ve earned a nice building to complement the John Denver Sanctuary.”
