The commute for Bethel-area residents to catch a movie on the big screen could become much shorter - no longer requiring a plane ticket.
Bethel Community Services Foundation Inc. has solicited bids for a two-screen theater - one of which would feature a stage for live productions. Each theater would have 200 seats.
Bethel hasn't had a movie theater in 20 years, after the old Swanson's Theater shut down. If residents want to catch the latest blockbuster flick, they have to fly to the city.
"That's the first thing you do when you go to Anchorage is go see a show," said Jerry Drake, business facilities manager for the foundation. "People are psyched about this."
The roughly 20,000-square-foot building would be located near the airport, and is projected to cost about $6 million, Drake said.
It would feature a concession stand, a small arcade and an attached restaurant. A recent community survey showed that half of the area's residents would like it to be a Mexican restaurant.
"It's going to be nice," he said. "You can go out to see a play or a concert, have dinner and go see a show."
The Bethel Actors Guild, an all-volunteer organization that puts on play productions, would run the new theater. The guild has been homeless for the past two years, after the fire marshal shut down its old stage facilities - the former Swanson's Theater building.
Operating the new theater would allow the guild to develop a payroll and become more sustainable, he added.
Bethel, with a population of about 6,000, is located at the mouth of the Kuskokwim River, 400 air miles west of Anchorage.
When they want to watch a movie without leaving town, residents have to wait for the DVD release. They can rent movies from the city's one video store or from the town's main department store, Alaska Commercial Co.
The theater has already gained strong support from the city's chamber of commerce, city council and the arts council.
"The time is right," Drake said. "Studies show that a movie theater is something the people in town want. We hope the movie theater and restaurant pays for the performing arts theater."
Founded in 1992, the foundation is a nonprofit organization that works to build community services in Bethel. It is not affiliated with any regional or village Alaska Native corporation.
The organization will seek grants and private donations to help pay for the facility, Drake said.
Construction should begin this summer, with the first movie hitting the screen in spring 2007 - just in time for the next installments of Shrek, Spiderman and Harry Potter.
Melissa Campbell can be reached at melissa.campbell@alaskajournal.com.
