Nearly 300 community members and dignitaries celebrated the groundbreaking of the long-awaited new Performing Arts and Event Center on Wednesday morning.

“Today we lay the cornerstone for a new Federal Way,” said Mayor Jim Ferrell. “This new Performing Arts and Event Center is a monumental step toward building our future.”

City, county and state dignitaries who celebrated this milestone event included King County Councilman Pete von Reichbauer, state Sen. Joe Fain, Rep. Carol Gregory, the Federal Way City Council and Des Moines Mayor Dave Kaplan.

Drummers from the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe sang and played traditional native music and praised the partnership between the city and the tribal council on the efforts to bring a Native American Culinary School to the event center.

Von Reichbauer called the project an “important regional facility,” comparing it to a similar project in size and scope, the King County Aquatic Center, which has had “a positive impact on South King County.”

Deputy Mayor Jeanne Burbidge and Fain spoke about the positive impact both performances and events will have on Federal Way’s local economy. Fain noted how expensive it is to travel to Seattle for world-class performances.

“For years our community debated the merits of this project,” Ferrell said. “I truly believe that the passion of the debate was driven by love of community and a desire to do what each side fundamentally believed was best.”

Quoting President Teddy Roosevelt, he said, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”

“Well, many believed, but the half that was missing was objective financial analysis,” Ferrell added. “Thanks to the work of the Blue Ribbon Panel and to all of those who have contributed to the success of this project, we can now move forward with confidence.”

The event center’s 716-seat theater will feature touring acts as well as a curated arts education program meeting curriculum standards. Collaborations with the school district and existing arts groups will offer opportunities to make the arts an integral part of education.

The event center boasts 8,000 square feet that will provide a regional impact beyond the arts, hosting meetings, conferences and receptions along with a Native American Culinary Institute within its full catering kitchen, in partnership with the Muckleshoot Tribe and Institute of American Indian Arts.

City officials hope the facility will serve a as catalyst for tourism and economic development throughout the South Puget Sound.

The facility’s grand opening is set for the winter of 2016 or early 2017.