Butler Eagle, Monday, March 4th, 2002 Feature Story

Beaver County district supports Strand project

2 groups pursue cultural theaters
By Bob Schultz
Eagle Staff Writer

ZELIENOPLE – A Beaver County school district has thrown its support behind a Cranberry Township man’s efforts to restore the Strand Theater.

Ron Carter, who started the Strand Theater Initiative, has teamed with Nicholas Trombetta, the Midland School District superintendent, who is involved in his own project to get a cultural performing arts center built within his district.

The two groups haven’t worked out the details on how their partnership would work because each of two cultural centers are in their preliminary phases, but both are in full support of each other’s projects.

“We are excited about entering into this collaboration with Dr. Trombetta and the Midland School District,” said Carter. “As a charitable corporation, we have a vested interest in making The Strand an educational and community outreach center, in addition to a cultural one.”

“Our commitment right now is pretty much limited to collaborating with each other and supporting each other’s project,” Trombetta said.

When each project gets off the ground, the two theaters could possibly exchange performers and programs, helping one another, he added. The two projects also could possibly team up to get funds.

The Midland School District is renovating the district’s former high school building into a $20 million 60,000- to 70,000-square-foot arts and cultural facility that will have rehearsal rooms and a 750-seat theater. The building will also be the home of a new Western Pennsylvania Cyber-Charter school, near the Ohio border.

The Beaver County district is in the middle of a feasibility study to determine if the project is viable. The district is hoping to break ground on the project in 2003.

“We’re looking to build a world-class facility. There really isn’t this type of facility in all of Beaver County,” Trombetta said.

“The Strand and Midland facilities will complement each other, bringing professional theater arts to a region that doesn’t really have it,” added Carter.

The Strand Theater Initiative is similar in that Carter is trying to restore the old theater, which has remained vacant for years. The Strand Theater Initiative must buy the Strand by April 5, the day the sales agreement expires, said Carter.

So far, the initiative has collected about $13,000 of the $150,000 Carter has said is needed to attract support from large foundations and endowment groups that provide funding to kick-start the Strand project.

“This step helps us achieve our goal as a community organization, but we still need local financial support to make this project a success,” said Carter. “Given the $1 to $2 million price estimate to fully renovate The Strand as a cultural center, $150,000 many sound like small change. But, it’s necessary to demonstrate to the foundations that the community supports the initiative.”