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the community. Arts facilities do not pay for themselves, but provide something beyond monetary value. Art is what makes us who we are and gives quality of life to the city. When people choose where to live, they want more than shopping, sports, or television. She wanted to attract creative, artistic and interesting people to join those already here. She felt it was ironic to be talking about what facilities to have; we should be talking about how big they should be. These facilities could make our city great and she urged Council to approve the plan. Carrie Shaeffer, 4737 Ross Gate Court, indicated she has been pleased with what she has seen of the growth of the city and felt it had been managed well over all. She is part of a group of women who sing in various venues in the area. She related the difficulties in scheduling Amador Theater. In addition, a major difficulty they have is finding rehearsal space. Currently they use the Pleasanton Community Church, however there is no room for storage of the props they need for rehearsal. If there is a need for extra rehearsals, it creates difficulties for the church members and their activities. On a different topic, she related the fact that Castro Valley, an unincorporated city, has an art gallery with space for displays and workshops. Pleasanton needs that as well. She encouraged Council to be a leader in meeting the needs for arts facilities. Keith Mielke, 2005 Calle Ricardo, indicated he is a non-singing member of the Pot of Gold Chorus and stated the group would like to be better utilized in Pleasanton than it currently is. He supported the proposed marketing plan and reiterated the need for rehearsal space. Laurie Taner, 626 So. Blackbrush Lane, San Ramon, President of the Pleasanton Community Concert Band, also supported the arts facilities plans. She was happy to see the community support for the arts. She was in favor of the marketing plan and shared the concerns of other groups. Her group like others have the biggest expense for rehearsal and performance space. They currently rehearse at the Pleasanton Middle School band room, which is nice, but they are the last priority for use of the room. There is also a need for office and library space for the band's library. They have also had booking problems with Amador Theater. She strongly urged support of a performing arts center because there is a richer and more diverse selection of arts groups in Pleasanton than in surrounding communities, therefore the facility should be in Pleasanton, not elsewhere. Rudy Johnson, 5655 Black Avenue, referred to the economics of the proposals. He acknowledged that these facilities do cost money and do not pay for themselves. He did not believe the Senior Center, Aquatic Center, Library, or Tennis Center paid for themselves either. These are all amenities for the community and provide part of the rich cultural life of the city. He referred to various cities in the Bay Area and indicated there are real economic benefits to the city in conjunction with arts facilities. He also believed private contributions would be a factor to consider, not just in building them, but also in operating them. He felt it would be a mistake to let the economic considerations deter progress on these facilities. We need a vision of what we want and where it should be and there will be community support to proceed. If you are doing the fight thing, it will happen. David Wright, 5331 Northway Road, referred to an incident at Las Positas College when the drama instructor was asked why he was not expanding his program and he responded that in order to grow, it needed bigger facilities. There is sometimes a Catch 22 in arts programs, in that Pleasanton City Council 7 05/08/01 Minutes