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For Immediate Release
March 5, 2002
White
Secures Grants for Franklin’s Barrow-Civic Theatre, New Bethlehem Park
Harrisburg – State Sen. Mary Jo
White (R-21) today announced the awarding of two state grants to help a
Franklin theater reduce printing costs and to assist volunteers in the
restoration of a small New Bethlehem park.
White said a $10,000 grant is being
awarded to the Franklin Civic Operetta Association’s Barrow-Civic Theatre and a
$5,000 grant is being awarded to the New Bethlehem Civic Club.
The Franklin Civic Operetta
Association grant will be used to cover the cost of purchasing a copier to
print posters, program inserts, mailings and fliers, White said. The move would allow the theater to reduce
printing costs by doing more of the work in-house.
“The good news is, the theater’s
printing costs have escalated due the increased number of capacity shows last
year,” said White. “However, the increased printing costs are eating up too
much of the association’s budget. Purchasing a copier helps improve the
financial strength of what is one of the best performing arts centers in
Northwestern Pennsylvania.”
The senator said the grant will also
help the association pay for the purchase of four ceiling fans for the theater
lobby, reducing air conditioning costs and making the lobby more comfortable
during crowded, sold-out performances.
Located at 1223 Liberty Street, the
theater was originally built as a vaudeville house in 1913. It was destroyed by
fire in 1944 and was rebuilt as the Kayton movie theater, operating until 1971.
It was purchased in 1989 by the Franklin Civic Operetta Association and, after
a $2 million restoration, opened as a state-of-the-art performing arts center
in 1993.
The $5,000 grant awarded to the New
Bethlehem Civic Club will help pay for improvements to the small park at the
southern corner of Broad and Liberty streets, near the bridge, in New
Bethlehem, White said.
“That area took a real beating in
the July 1996 flood and the construction work that followed,” said White. “During work on Route 28 and the bridge,
construction crews used the tiny park as space to store supplies and heavy
equipment. The New Bethlehem Civic Club
has been working to restore the area to a pleasant spot for picnics or to
stroll along Redbank Creek, and to welcome visitors in a positive way.”
The project includes replacing the
damaged fountain with a new one, planting trees, shrubs and perennials, and
removing overgrown waterweeds, she said. It also includes extension of a water
line for the fountain and the posting of a wooden “Welcome to New Bethlehem”
sign.
The New Bethlehem Civic Club is an
arm of the General Federation of Woman’s Club.
The grants were awarded by the state
Department of Community and Economic Development.
CONTACT:
Leigh
Ramsey (717) 787-9684
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