Jasper Council: Astra could receive $400,000 grant with city’s help
With the Jasper Common Council allowing the city to act as a pass-through account for a grant, efforts to move forward with the renovation of the Astra Theatre could take a big leap.
The Next Act is working with Indiana Region 15 to procure up to $400,000 from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs in the form of a Community Focus Grant.
This same grant was used to renovated the historic Wollenmann House in Ferdinand.
To be awarded the grant, The Next Act will have to invest $197,000 of their funds to bring the total investment into the Phase I plan to $597,000. Phase I includes renovations of the building’s heating and cooling system, electrical wiring, plumbing and the exterior features like windows, doors and roof, as well as the historic preservation of the building to include the marquee, according to Mark Steczyk, president of The Next Act.
“We have our ducks in a row to receive this grant from OCRA,” Steczyk said about the grant that is largely used to preserve historic structures.
Lisa Gehlhausen with Indiana Region 15 presented the plan to the council and will be assisting in completing the grant application. It is due by June 10 and the group will receive notification on the award by July 21. The funds will likely be deposited within a month after the approval if it occurs.
The funds will help the group move forward with their goal of reopening the theatre as a popular venue for performances. “Once we get through this, we would have about $400,000 to $450,000 in fundraising to go,” Steczyk said.
Individuals seeking to support their efforts can do so through the website, TheNextAct.org.
The plans for the interior of the theatre are being completed by Indianapolis-based Pyramid Architecture and Engineering. The Phase II vision includes reopening the balcony, enlarging the performance stage, creating a new concessions area and adding a green room for the performers to prep in. The building will also be made handicap-accessible with accessible bathrooms.
Pyramid architects Don and Ron Flick were both in attendance at Wednesday’s council meeting.
“As a Jasper native, I am thrilled to be working on this,” Don said. “Our dad owned the drug store on the Square, so it was a big part of our lives. To be able to give input to the group (The Next Act) is wonderful. I applaud them for taking the initiative to get this going.”
According to Steczyk, the group is attempting to put together a show for April. Then in May, the Will Read and Sing for Food troupe will return to the Astra for a performance.
Additional actions by the council
The council also approved the compliance statements from Kimball Hospitality, Kimball Office and Indiana Furniture Industries for property tax abatements they have received for expansions.
Both Kimball compliance statements were approved with little discussion other than a question about Kimball Office exceeding the projected employment numbers in their original application. Steve Buechler, financial manager at Kimball Office, explained the additional employees were due to the completed expansion the abatement covered as well as the incorporation of a Kimball plant in Idaho to the Jasper area. The Idaho plant’s operations were moved to Jasper last year.
The council had some discussion regarding Indiana Furniture Industries being in compliance.
The company has struggled to comply with the original abatement application terms in regards to the number of jobs filled, job retention and wages.
According to CFO Bernie Kreilein, the manufacturer did not meet the job requirements due to market conditions in veneer production.
The company invested heavily in new equipment for veneers as part of their abatement plans and had projected the addition of seven new jobs when they applied for their abatement in 2011. With the changing market conditions, they have only filled five of those projected positions.
With the loss of the market for veneers, IFI has invested in new equipment to meet the demand for laminates. The expansion into laminates will likely lead to new positions opening up, according to Kreilein.
According to Bret Ackerman, the new equipment investment amounts to about a million dollars. They are not seeking an abatement on this new investment.
At the same time, the company has been aggressively seeking new markets for its veneer lines. They are working on contracts in the Middle East where veneers are preferred as well as with certain U.S. government entities that want veneers over laminates.
Since last year, the company has dropped from 285 employees to 269 employees. Kreilein explained the drop-off in business that occurred in the fourth quarter caused hours to drop for the employees and those employees found work elsewhere.
Based on the substantial attempts to comply with the original abatement terms, the council approved the compliance statements for IFI. Councilman John Bell abstained from voting due to a conflict of interest. His company, TrueScripts, works with IFI.
Finally, the council decided to schedule a public meeting with department heads before the July budgeting process to determine the future needs for those departments. Referring to a recent meeting the Dubois County Council held with department heads to deal with the expanding budget deficit, Councilwoman Nancy Eckerle said she thought it was a good process. The public meetings will be planned and announced in the near future.
