PAGE 4 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NEWS SECTION - A - OCTOBER 5, 2011
Auditorium/from page 1 That history of the celebrated building is well known and led to a 2006 inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, but how to best ensure the circa 1917 theater survives another century has been a puzzling and likely expensive venture and was the subject of an Tuesday, Oct. 4, symposium of sorts. The future plans for the nonagenarian building was front and center as a presentation was held in the Civic Auditorium’s basement, now called The Elbow Room. While there were few surprises revealed, the enthusiasm for the future seems contagious, and the time line for the restoration has a zero hour of 2017, when the Civic Auditorium turns 100 years old.
Adjusting for the times
The presentation included several local and regional elected officials, Festival Theatre Board members, local advocates, theater personnel and Arts Wisconsin Executive Director Ann Katz of Madison, who noted other similar stories across the state of turning grand, artistic dreams into reality, and hopefully, economic engines of a community. Katz cited several opera houses, theaters, cultural, arts and performance venues from Wausau, Green Lake, Madison, Oshkosh and other locales, where communities lent their support and money to saving and enhancing historic venues. One of those theaters, the Bartell in Madison, has a slogan that seemed to mirror that philosophy: “Theatre creating community creating theatre.” Katz cited the locally popular Mabel Tainter Theatre in Menomonie, where in spite of several huge political and financial setbacks, “They didn’t take no for an answer.” Arts Wisconsin tries to advocate a philosophy that arts, theater, music and more, and Katz believes the venues can be not only a truly positive way to foster and celebrate local creativity, it can also be economically worthwhile investment for a community, local businesses, residents and other neighbors. “The Festival Theatre [Company] and the Auditorium Theatre is part of why St. Croix Falls is a special place,” Katz said. “It’s also what makes this a special project.”
A living landmark
Several members of the recently created Living Landmark Committee also shared various visions for the structure, playing on the successes of other city efforts to recognize, save and enhance local features of all flavors, from the Overlook Deck to the Riverwalk, even streetlights, crosswalks, sculpture and other historically, respective features of the downtown’s infrastructure. “St. Croix Falls is a model of preserving a historic town,” stated city Alderwoman Deb Kravig, who noted that preservation can be “an economic driver.” The Living Landmark Committee has three subcommittees, all with very different tasks: Strategic, building, and operational committees. UW-Extension agent and strategic committee member Bob Kazmierski an-
nounced a yearlong economic impact study that will candidly inventory the players that may or may not be benefiting from the theater and how to best adjust the future of the theater and possibly the adjacent former Falls 5 movie building to fit into that plan. “Maybe [with the results] they can work together even more,” Kazmierski said. “Then see how a renovated St. Croix Falls Auditorium Theatre could fill those gaps.” Committee member Meg Luhrs noted that long-term financial viability, as well as ways to open new funding doors, is one of the major goals of the operational committee, which is likely to include professional fundraising, using results of several studies, past and present. Building committee member Rick Vezina revealed the likely costs of long-term restoration and enhancement is likely to fall between $1.7 and $2 million, which includes heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, an elevator and enhanced accessibility, as well as updated mechanical systems, a possible catering kitchen, and even restoring the windows to the actual auditorium space. “The basic structure is in good shape,” Vezina assured. “But we hope to have the basic needs of the building fulfilled by 2017.”
That space next door
City Alderman Brian Blesi praised the city for taking the “very courageous gamble” in preserving and enhancing not only the theater, but also other historically important structures, and how he and others are hoping the lessons learned can be applied next door, where the vacant Falls 5 building is in the early stages of a guideline plan for its potential usage. “There are some cool ideas out there [for the Falls 5],” Blesi said, noting how they are likely to include setting back the corner for a more a plaza atmosphere, in line with the neighboring Auditorium, and also possibly combining several needs for the Civic Auditorium, HVAC, elevators, kitchens, etc., with whatever emerges at the Falls 5 location. “It’s about synergy of systems,” Blesi said. “ ... to really create a hub that’s not only in the spirit of the arts and historic district ... but so it becomes a driver of business.” New city Administrator Joel Peck also outlined his work to rewrite the contract between the city and the Festival Theatre, to make the relationship “better for both sides.” “The city is far better off having the Festival Theatre here than not,” Peck said. “It’s about quality of life issues ... and what sells the community.”
A funky building with lots of friends
Much of the presentation was to a crowd that was already on board and excited to see the future plans. But the huge, obvious hurdle, as in any public arts project, is money. While many of the related costs of restoration, development and enhancement have stabilized with the recent recession, and money is relatively cheap to borrow, the basic role of the theater in the
Theater advocate Kathleen Melin gave a brief hsitory of the SCF Civic Auditorium. - Photos by Greg Marsten
LEFT: Anne Katz of Arts Wisconsin spoke of other, similar arts-based structures across the state and their stories of struggle, restoration and success.
city, county and region will likely need to expand even wider in the future. “Life in the arts is a real roller coaster,” stated Festival Theatre Company Executive Director Danette Olson, who noted that attendance this summer was at an all-time high, and staffing is as lean as it has been in the last six years, which has helped the bottom line, but also made their individual responsibilities an even greater challenge. “But we’re very determined to to keep producing local theater,” Olson said, who stressed the importance of that goal, but also how the combination of volunteers, host families, actors, producers, backers
City business park groundbreaking A ground-breaking ceremony took place Thursday, Sept, 29, in Taylors Falls, Minn., for the city business park on Cty. Road 37. Pictured left to right are: city attorney Patrick Kelly, HRA-EDA board Chair Jim Stein, Councilman John Tangen, Councilwoman Mary Jo Murphy, Councilman Larry Julik-Heine, Vice Mayor Ross Rivard, state Rep. Bob Barrett, Mayor Michael Buchite, county commissioner Rick Greene, city engineer Steve Heth, public works Superintendent Mike Kriz, Chisago County Public Works Ben Utech, HRA-EDA Executive Director Chris Eng, HRA-EDA board member Jack Juve, and Josh Dresel of Dresel Contracting. – Photo by Tammi Milberg
and others is critical to the company’s success, and that their commitment to expanding into arts education for youth and local artists is one of many bold steps they should all be proud of. She also said the average audience member’s age is dropping, and that this could be one of the best financial season ever. “There’s good energy here,” she said. “Things are looking very good ... there’s lots of energy in this funky little building!”