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The Peoples Bank Theatre recently received a $200,000 grant from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to help with building improvements.
Hunt Brawley, theater executive director, said Monday a variety of improvements are to be made.
"Repairing the stage floor, providing lift and handicapped access to the rear of the stage and improvements to the exterior," he said.
He said they also needed to repoint the bricks on the upper facade on the northwest.
"There was damage and it wasn't super severe, but it needed to be addressed," Brawley said.
He said the funding would be used for maintenance issues, including repairing the gutters and some of the roof. Along with the repointing, some of the gutters are leaking.
Brawley said they'd like to get the work done sooner rather than later as there are currently no shows scheduled at the theater.
"Now is a good time. One of the only upsides of not operating is getting some of the repairs done," he said. "We've been doing some in the downtime."
The funding is reimbursable, so they would have to pay for the repairs, then submit forms to be repaid.
Todd Burge, theater talent buyer, said planners have been seeking solutions for some of these improvements for 15 years. The improvements have been postponed due to a lack of funding.
"We opened five years ago in January and completely restored everything down to the plumbing and the bathrooms downstairs," Burge said. "We were sitting on a huge debt when we opened. The board decided instead of spending another year or two with a capital campaign and squash the debt, they wanted to hit the ground running and open up."
He said the perception over the years is that because of the popular acts he's booked that have sold out the theatre, "we were rolling in money."
"We're not making a whole lot of money with bigger shows like Chicago," he said. "We could see some light (in paying down the debt), but then the pandemic hit."
He said along with the restoration debt to pay, they still have bills such as electricity and water that need paid. Most everyone at the theatre has been furloughed, as no performances are scheduled.
"We're just trying to claw ourselves out of restoration debt. Most theaters will need support from outside areas whether endowment or capital campaign, sponsorships and whatnot," Burge said.
He noted that although it was a monstrous task when restoring the building, it has been a tremendous value to the community.
"We're thinking of this as a unique situation. It either knocks you out or makes you stronger," Burge remarked. "This huge break allows us to see how important the art world is to people."
All of the shows previously scheduled have been moved back, but "we have not lost one show," he said. "We've moved them, so if people have tickets, their tickets are still good for when they come back."
Burge hasn't been moving the acts' showtimes on a whim.
"The acts are moving their tours and we're trying to accommodate them the best we can," he said.
Michele Newbanks can be reached at mnewbanks@mariettatimes.com.