HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-05-20 Public Comment - W. Volkersz - In support of the Etha Hotel (application #19410)From:Willem Volkersz
To:Agenda
Subject:Public comment in support of the Etha Hotel (application #19410)
Date:Sunday, April 5, 2020 12:12:42 PM
Dear Members of the City Commission:
I am writing to express my support for the Etha Hotel and its developer, Cory Lawrence.
While I have known Cory and his wife Carrie for only a few months, I have been impressedwith their passion for this project, their outreach and commitment to the community and their
interest in serving Bozeman with a small, well-designed hotel for the increasing number oftravelers visiting Yellowstone and the Gallatin Valley.
I am an artist who moved to Bozeman with his family in 1986 when I became Director of the
School of Art at MSU. After chairing and teaching at the School for 16 years, I retired butcontinued to work actively in the studio. My mixed media sculptures have found a home in
hotels, office buildings, hospitals and museums throughout the US. One work is permanentlyinstalled in Gaines Hall at MSU. My work has been featured in the Bozeman Chronicle
several times, including its front page.
A few months ago, I was a member of a group of area artists who were invited to a meetingwith Cory and Carrie at the Emerson Center in which, after an informative introduction to the
project, we were presented with a request to submit proposals for works of art to enhance theinterior spaces of the Etha Hotel. I was especially impressed by the fact that the developers
were look locally for works of art. Since that time, I have completed a commission for thehotel and am much looking forward to seeing hotel spaces filled with Montana art.
I have been dismayed to read about the miscommunication among city departments as well as
with the developer in giving final approvals for the hotel. While I am not privy to the detailsof the entire approval process, I think it is now time to finalize it—especially when all legal
and safety requirements appear to have been met. It seems too late in the game to requiremajor changes to the location of the mechanical equipment and to the appearance of the
building (some of which would likely doom the project) especially if these suggestions comefrom neighbors who chose to live in our lively and thriving downtown.
I therefore urge you to give final approval to the Etha Hotel so that it can become another vital
economic as well as cultural contributor to our urban environment.
Sincerely,
Willem VolkerszProfessor Emeritus, MSU
12299 Portnell Rd.Bozeman, MT 59718