Zelienople News Weekly, Wednesday, October 10th, 2001 – Feature Story

Company to assess renovation cost of theater in Zelienople

By Angela Pfeiffer
Staff Writer

ZELIENOPLE – With the help of an engineering firm, Ron Carter may soon have an accurate assessment of what it will cost to renovate Main Street’s former movie house, which he hopes to convert into a live professional theater.

Foreman Architects Engineers of Zelienople has agreed to do a feasibility study for Carter’s Strand Theater initiative. The firm will inspect the abandoned building and then draw up schematics, renderings and cost estimates for the conversion.

The company will allow Carter to pay for the study after his fund-raising campaign is underway.

Carter said, the study would help convince nonprofit organizations and endowments to contribute to the project, which he has estimated at $1 million.

“We’ll have black-and-white figures versus educated guesses, which is pretty much what we’ve been going on up until now,” he said.

Carter has said the theater would have 200 to 300 seats and host 35 professional shows a year, as well as shows by community groups.

A second building on the rear of the lot was demolished in September, so the lot can now have 20 to 30 parking spaces. Carter also has said, he could arrange to shuttle patrons from a nearby church or shop.

In other developments related to the Strand Theater:

· Carter has learned that he has an extra 60 days to buy the property. Owner Gloria Nalevanko has extended the deadline for her $150,000 sales agreement with Carter to Jan. 3.

· The Internal Revenue Service has designated the initiative as a tax-exempt charitable organization. That makes donations to the Strand Theater Initiative tax deductible.

· Carter has rescheduled the town hall meeting originally planned for Sept. 11 to Oct. 16 at Passavant Retirement Community’s Scholl Auditorium on the second floor of the main building.

At the meeting, Carter will update the status of the project, explain what is needed to restore the decaying building, describe how he will raise money, and answer questions.

He also has said professional actors would “give a taste of the kind of programming we would have.”

For information on his project visit www.TheStrandTheater.org