Every month in the calendar year has its own sense of rhythm. For me, the rhythm for August is about anticipation. It means vacation combined with looming energy for the end of summer break, the start of a new school year and football returns. When you think about it, every community has its own rhythm. That rhythm is about change, and change is a constant.
Generally, not much gets accomplished in August because everyone’s focus is on finishing up summer.
However, this August, Federal Way will be celebrating its newest community resource with the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the Performing Arts and Event Center, Aug. 19. Come to the PAEC on 31510 Pete von Reichbauer Way and enjoy venue tours, food and live entertainment. The 11 a.m. ribbon cutting starts the day’s events, with festivities concluding at 5 p.m.
With the opening of this facility, the rhythm of Federal Way is upbeat.
The city’s history of being former timber lands owned, logged and developed by Weyerhaeuser and eventually home for their corporate headquarters needs to be respected.
But due to moving their corporate offices to Seattle and the sale of their iconic campus to Industrial Realty Group, LLC, Weyerhaeuser’s ties to Federal Way left this city experiencing a down beat.
Thank goodness for the positive note of leaving the Pacific Bonsai Museum and the Rhododendron Garden positioned to continue being part of the community’s fabric.
So, for the immediate future, the city’s destination identity is shifting to the PAEC. During the election cycle four years ago, mayoral candidate Jim Ferrell was opposed to going forward with building the PAEC. Now he is its champion. After the 2013 election, newly elected Mayor Ferrell and his leadership team began reconsidering the potential of building the PAEC.
As the mayor and his leadership team learned that Weyerhaeuser was planning to reduce its Federal Way presence, they understood that embracing the past and status quo was not a good option. By shifting his position, the mayor took a risk and embraced the challenge of changing Federal Way’s focus and identity. The PAEC became the tool — not an easy decision in a community that has a history of being adverse to change, fiscally constrained and small-government focused.
Once the decision to build was made, the mayor and his team have been active on the economic development front, letting businesses near and far know that Federal Way was investing in culture and open for business.
One of the pitches used to promote Federal Way as a great option was the presence of the PAEC as a place that can be used for corporate meetings and events.
DaVita, a Fortune 500 company specializing in kidney dialysis, recently announced that it is moving the rest of its corporate headquarters to Federal Way within four years. This means 500 more jobs and a new building on its planned development located on the former Weyerhaeuser campus.
In addition to that announcement, the Federal Way City Council approved the sale of a parcel of property adjacent to the PAEC for a new hotel. The new hotel will support cultural as well as planned corporate events at the PAEC. More will come as the vision for the town center continues to take shape.
If you are on vacation and cannot come to the PAEC Aug. 19 to celebrate, you might consider being part of the PAEC’s inaugural performance event.
On Sept. 9, the PAEC will host a gala dinner and show featuring “Rain – a Tribute to the Beatles.” This event is being prepared jointly by the city and the Federal Way Performing Arts Foundation. The grand opening is the beginning of Federal Way creating a cultural identity.
The rhythm of Federal Way is changing, and its future looks brighter because of the PAEC.
Keith Livingston is a longtime Federal Way resident and community observer. He can be reached at keithlivingstondesign@gmail.com.
