Thank you so much!

March 27, 2008

Thank you all so very much for the magnificent success of this project. It is a pleasure to report that we have slightly over $250,000 for this project, before expenses for advertising, Urban Sparks fiscal sponsorship, and minor administrative expenses. This amount includes the $50,000 the City of Seattle agreed to donate to the project earlier, and about $10,500 that NPA stated they had left from their prior fund-raising efforts. There will be no wage or salary expenses, as the Seattle Statue of Liberty Plaza Project is completely done with volunteer labor.

The Landscape plaques and Benches are all sold, which raised significant income, but the brick donors have continued, as always to be the backbone of this program. It was Mike Boyle who had the original idea to sell bricks back when the Northwest Program for the Arts started this project, and SSLPP continued that program. See more on Mike Boyle below.

Because people wanted to continue to purchase bricks and be a part of the plaza, we have continued to sell bricks. However, the brick sale ends March 31, 2008. We must now stop the sale, because we are finally making significant headway in completing the project. It is now scheduled for completion by the Parks Department in September of this year. Therefore, we must now stop the sale of bricks to conform to the parameters of the proposed construction. If you wish to purchase a brick, you must go to www.sealady.org immediately, download the brick form, and purchase your brick.

While fund-raising efforts are completed, the SSLPP will remain active until the plaza is completed. At that time, this Project will cease entirely, since our group was formed only to complete this already-begun project, and to assure that the citizens of Alki Beach, West Seattle, and the greater Seattle community got the plaza for which they had worked for several years, and to which they donated significant contributions. There have already been construction cost increases because of prior delays in this project, and there will undoubtedly be additions and minor changes to the present design, so the funds raised in excess of the original goal may well be all used on the project. However, if any funds are still available when the project is completed, they will be used by our Fiscal Sponsor, Urban Sparks, to help fund other, similar projects here in Seattle.

Finally, since we now have a tentative period of time when the project may be completed, a new sub-committee of the SSLPP is forming under the leadership of Mike Boyle, a member of the SSLPP who (see above) was responsible for the brick sales idea years ago. This committee will coordinate the Plaza Celebration--it will be a wonderful event, and we will keep you posted on the details, as well as the details of the construction project as it develops.

Again, thank you to all who have done so much, and continue to do so much, to make our "Lady Liberty" plaza to welcoming place it will be for generations of people who visit Seattle or live here. More later.
Paul & Libby Carr, Co-Chairs,
Seattle Statue of Liberty Plaza Project