The Avalon Theatre recently hosted the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) for its monthly meeting, which featured a spotlight and tour of the newly renovated local theatre. Pictured in front of the stage, from left, are Cheryl J. Lyman, executive director of the OFCC; Mary Mertz, voting member of the OFCC and the director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources; Kimberly Murnieks, chair of the OFCC and director of the Ohio Office of Budget and Management; and Ryan Garber, assistant director of the Ohio Department of Administrative. Garber was at the meeting on behalf of Kathleen C. Madden, who is the vice chair of the OFCC and director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. Sarah Barr, executive director of the theatre, and Jessica DeLong, grants administrator of the OFCC, led the presentation about the Avalon Theatre.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Ally Lanasa)
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The Avalon Theatre has softly opened with movie showings and the State of the City Address, but an official grand opening will take place at the beginning of August, said Sarah Barr.
Barr, the executive director of the Avalon Theatre, presented a project spotlight about the Avalon at the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) monthly meeting held there recently.
The OFCC “oversees capital projects for agencies and higher education institutions supported by the state,” said J.C. Benton, commission spokesperson.
The commission also allocates funding for school facility programs as well as cultural and sports projects.
“OFCC Cultural Facilities Grants provide funding for the design and construction of Ohio’s cultural facilities through cooperation and partnership with nonprofit and local government project sponsors,” Benton said.
Cultural facilities include science-technology centers, nonprofit theaters, museums, art education facilities and historical sites within the state, Benton said. He added that to be eligible, cultural facilities must offer a continued benefit to the public.
The commission administered $850,000 in two individual grants from the state to restore the Avalon Theatre.
The Avalon opened in 1936 and “has been an important fixture, supporting the cultural arts in Union County for decades,” said Jessica DeLong, grants administrator of the OFCC.
In 1972, the theatre was purchased and transformed into a movie triplex, The Marysville Cinema. The Marysville Cinema later closed in 2009. The nonprofit Marysville Uptown Theatre purchased the vacant building in 2015 and began fundraising efforts to restore the historical structure.
DeLong said the OFCC approved a $350,000 grant in July 2020 and an additional $500,000 grant in April 2021 to complete the restoration project.
OFCC Executive Director Cheryl J. Lyman called the theatre “a wonderful asset” to the community. Kimberly Murnieks, chair and director of the Ohio Office of Budget and Management, said the Avalon Theatre will offer “ongoing economic development” for Marysville and Union County and will serve as an “anchor of downtown Marysville.”
Barr agreed, saying the theatre will partner with local businesses for beverages and popcorn.
Barr told the commission the nonprofit strived to “keep as many items as we could historically,” including the brick walls in the lobby. Local artisan Derek Schwyn also created the bar in the lobby from wood salvaged during the project.
She added that the red and black facade and marquee of the restored building pay homage to the original theatre. Additionally, posters from the 1940s line the hallway into the auditorium.
Barr also shared that the theatre seat ends from the 1930s were preserved by a local man, who restored them.
Benton said the commission’s site visit to the theatre was the first since March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, so the members were excited to receive a tour of the cultural venue.
According to the preliminary funding allocations proposed through the current capital budget, OFCC will administer $150,000 to the Village of Richwood for the opera house restoration.
The commission also previously administered a $30,000 grant for the restoration of the Seth Tomas Tower Clock, which sits atop the Clock Tower Building in the center of Plain City, 101 S. Chillicothe St. The project was approved in February 2017.
Furthermore, the commission administers funding for the construction and renovation of public K-12 schools.
During the 2021 fiscal year, the commission opened 27 new or renovated K-12 school facilities in Ohio, bringing the total number of educational buildings opened to 1,267, Benton shared.
Fairbanks Local School District is currently participating in the Expedited Local Partnership Program (ELPP), which “gives districts not yet eligible for the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP) the opportunity to move ahead themselves with portions of their project that best fit the district’s immediate need,” Benton said.
In the past, OFCC has worked with the North Union and Triad local school districts, to complete three schools each. Jonathan Alder also completed a project in the ELPP Program and a project in the CFAP.
“CFAP takes a comprehensive approach with local districts by addressing the entire facility needs of a district from kindergarten through 12th grade,” Benton said. “When a district is eligible for state funding based on property wealth of the district and secures their local share through a levy, they work directly with OFCC as we manage their project.”
He added that the difference between the two programs is that “CFAP works directly with OFCC and ELPP lets a district do a portion of their project themselves, before being offered a state share of funding.”
Additionally, Gov. Mike DeWine awarded $4.8 million in grants to help improve the overall safety and security of Ohio school facilities.
Ohio’s K-12 School Safety Grant Program is administered by the OFCC in partnership with the Ohio School Safety Center. The program is funded with an appropriation in Senate Bill 310 of the 133rd General Assembly.
Through the program, 98 schools in 27 counties received funding, including Tri-Rivers Career Center in Marion, which received a nearly $100,000 school safety grant.
“School safety is largely about prevention and planning and these grants will help schools increase their efforts,” Lyman said. “We appreciate the Ohio legislature providing the funding and look forward to their continued support as we work to assist more schools across the state in the future.”
Benton said the commission has about $2 billion worth of construction projects currently in progress across the state, which will bring more than 12,000 jobs to Ohio based on statistics from a national study.
The OFCC consists of seven members, three of whom are members of the Governor’s Cabinet and serve as voting members. Those members are Murnieks, Kathleen Madden, vice chair and the director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, and Mary Mertz, the director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The four non-voting members are Sen. Mark Romanchuk, Rep. Jason Stephens, Sen. Teresa Fedor and Rep. Lisa Sobecki.