Performing arts in the Tri-Cities are about to get squeezed

Battelle says it’s going to end public use of its auditorium in part because too many people want to use it.

“We cannot accommodate all the requests and we don’t want to be in a position where we tell some community groups they can use it, but others they cannot,” Greg Koller, Battelle spokesman, said in a statement.

Battelle’s own need for the facility also is a factor, Koller said, including “the potential conversion of the auditorium to a facility capable of hosting classified events,” meaning the public couldn’t enter the area.

The loss of Battelle Auditorium means even fewer local performance space options at a time when the need is growing.

The revival of the Uptown Theatre in Richland has helped with the squeeze, however the Tri-Cities doesn’t have its own dedicated performing arts facility.

Performing arts groups must coordinate schedules and at times rely on school and church facilities as the sites of their concerts, ballets and plays.

The loss of the 300-seat venue at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is going to affect two groups in particular. Tri-City Film Club and the chamber music group Camerata Musica both regularly held events there.

Battelle is working to grandfather in already-scheduled events through the spring, while not scheduling new ones, Koller said. Officials have notified community groups that use the auditorium.

The auditorium is part of PNNL’s north Richland campus. Battelle runs the lab for the Department of Energy.

Last fall, a proposal that would have helped with the performing arts space squeeze failed at the ballot box. The Link proposal included adding a 2,300-seat Broadway theater at the Three Rivers campus in Kennewick

However, another option is on the horizon. The nonprofit Arts Center Task Force is raising money for a performing arts facility at Vista Field in Kennewick.

The Vista Arts Center will include an 800-seat theater, a community room designed to hold up to 200 people, an art gallery and a pedestrian art walk, among other features.

The task force is raising money through donations and grants. It isn’t seeking a sales or property tax increase to pay for the project.

Koller said the auditorium decision doesn’t change Battelle’s commitment to the community and the arts.

“While we will no longer be able to host community events at the auditorium, Battelle will continue to be a strong supporter of the community and Mid-Columbia organizations by investing in the Tri-Cities’ education, health and human services, and arts organizations,” he said.

This story was originally published January 14, 2018 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Performing arts in the Tri-Cities are about to get squeezed."