Community Bank steps up to help Opera House

ELGIN ICON: Reconstruction of the Elgin Opera House’s front steps is supposed to occur this month. - Observer file photo

Large corporate donors are closing their purses to grant applicants, stating that funds have dried up for this fiscal year. Consequently, the capital committee has been encouraged to “apply again next year” in hopes that a recovering economy will reboot their grant programs and allow them to be more generous.

Some donors, like the Ford Family Foundation, which was targeted to generate an award to Elgin in the range of $200,000 to $250,000, don’t hold out any grant promises for next year.

“The Ford Foundation is not granting any money right now,” said Mayor John Stover. “They may not have any grant funds available for a couple of years.”

Consequently, the city of Elgin is checking into some alternative grant and loan sources.

That’s where the local Community Bank stepped into the picture. Attending Tuesday night’s meeting with the capital committee were Community Bank representatives Jeremy Gilpin, a commercial loan officer at the Baker City Community Bank and Nancy Crawford, manager of the Elgin Community Bank. Crawford is also a member of the Friends of the Elgin Opera House and performed as the tea cup in “Beauty and the Beast” last year. She has an interest in seeing that the renovation effort is successfully completed for the 2012 centennial celebration of the Elgin Opera House.

Crawford and Gilpin have offered to put together a proposal for a low-interest loan that will allow the city to complete the five-phase renovation project. Phase one, the reconstruction of the front steps, will be performed by GCT Land Management this month. The remaining phases of the project may be funded by a Community Bank low-interest loan.

“We’re looking at getting a $240,000 low-interest loan to finish all five phases of the renovation,” said Stover.

To date, the city has spent about $30,000 on various renovation-related projects and services, including the replacement of the furnaces, stage lighting, interior painting and architect fees. Each year, the city budgets $25,000 for the maintenance of the opera house, and these funds will aid the city in paying off the proposed loan if needed.

The committee is waiting to hear if it will be awarded a grant from the Park and Recreation Department’s Save America’s Treasures. The grant application was written and submitted by committee member Evelyn Spikes.

A second grant application will be submitted to the Rural Energy for America Program through the USDA. This program awards grant money for weatherization projects, including roofing, window replacements, tuckpointing, siding, air conditioning and duct work.

Under the management of Terry Hale, the historic opera house has seen increasing attendances at its live performances, including “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Sound of Music” and “The Wizard of Oz.” Hale reported that last month, more than 1,800 people attended performances of “The Wizard of Oz.” Interest in performing on the historic stage has also heightened. Volunteer performers from Union and Baker county have drawn an entourage of family, friends and musical enthusiasts.

The capital committee would like to thank the community for its contributions and will accept any donation made toward the renovating. The committee would like to have all the renovations done in time for its 2012 centennial celebration. Checks may be made out to the City of Elgin and mailed to P.O. Box 128, Elgin 97827.