Possible Rebuild, Slight Move for Leavenworth Summer Theater

Since 1993, the Leavenworth Summer Theater has had many performances unfold on the stage of the current standing outdoor theater in the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery. The hatchery has recently decided to rebuild the theater on the grounds due to some issues that have stemmed from the current site.

"The building itself has suffered from being in proximity to fluids in the ground (due to the adjacent drainfield) - the basement floods every year, the extra moisture has caused rot to take place in some of the wooden parts of the building," said Julia Pinnix, visitor services manager.

Other issues include the main entrance being blocked for performances, sound pollution for close neighbors and parking difficulties during fire camp which can in turn impact the primary responsibility of the hatchery, salmon.

In 2017, Leavenworth Summer Theater requested to rebuild due to the growing wear and tear on the outdoor theater. The hatchery staff put this plan into motion and decided to not only rebuild, but move the building to a farther south spot on the grounds.

"We looked really hard at sites elsewhere on the grounds and there was really only one site that we found that didn't cause more problems than it solved," said Pinnix.

The possible future location of the theater is currently used for piling gravel, surrounded by natural berm and native trees. The site would be accessible via existing trails. Parking would be available in the area across from O'Grady's Pantry.

Public input is being accepted until November 27 for the proposal. This can be emailed to Julia_pinnix@fws.gov or snail mail at 12790 Fish Hatchery Road, Leavenworth, WA 98826.