The Monroe Arts Council (MAC) is excited to invite the community to participate in the first official demolition party at the Wagner Performing Arts Center (639 W. Main St.) in Monroe.
The work party will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 8, at the auditorium. The demolition will begin in the lobby area, as volunteers work to implement the updated floorplan, which will include a concession area and ticket booth. Eventually, brand new four-stall ADA-compliant restrooms will be added, with the women's facilities located to the left of the lobby and the men's facilities to the right.
Members from both the Monroe Rotary and the Monroe Lions Club will be helping to facilitate the demolition party, and all other volunteers are welcome.
MAC board member Anita Flickinger is excited that the renovations are starting to gain some forward momentum. Technically still school property, the MAC is responsible for all the auditorium's upkeep and general maintenance per an agreement between the nonprofit and the school district.
"We took possession of the building from the school district three years ago,GÇ¥ Flickinger said. "That was the agreement GÇô that we would update the building so it would be usable.GÇ¥
In order to avoid gift-of-public-funds concerns, the MAC entered into a contractual agreement with the school district that allows them to lease the building for $1 per year. Cities and school districts are prohibited from gifting public property to outside organizations.
The MAC, a 100 percent volunteer nonprofit organization, has been actively seeking different ways to fund the renovations. They've sought donations and grants and have held raffles and fundraisers. Last fall, before the Sky Performing Arts production of Hello, Dolly, Walmart associates donated 250 hours of volunteer labor, which enabled Walmart to provide the MAC with a monetary donation in the amount of $6,000, through the Walmart Volunteerism Always Pays Program.
The MAC is hoping to apply for additional grant funding through the Walmart Foundation, a national grant program that is meant to provide more substantial levels of funding. Last fall, the Walmart Foundation made a $49,000 donation to the Marysville Food Bank.
According to the Monroe Historical Society, the Wagner Memorial Auditorium, as it was originally called, was dedicated in September, 1939, as part of the new Monroe Junior High School. The money to build the auditorium was donated by Frank Wagner, who wanted to construct the facility in honor of his father, George Wagner, who had died in 1931.
Many years later, the auditorium was renamed the Wagner Performing Arts Center.
Construction on the 640-seat auditorium began in 1937. Now, nearly 80 years later, the Wagner Performing Arts Center is still the largest auditorium in the valley. Anita is hopeful that once they are able to renovate the lobby and complete the ADA compliant restroom project, more people will be encouraged to use the facility.
Currently, the restroom situation in the auditorium is problematic. The restrooms, while very large, are in grave disrepair and nowhere near ADA-compliant. In order for a person in a wheelchair to access a restroom, they have to leave the auditorium, wheel themselves around the building and use the restrooms in the adjoining school district building.
Volunteers are welcome to stop by anytime on Saturday. The MAC is actively seeking licensed and bonded plumbers and electricians, who would be willing to donate their expertise. All permitting at the city level has been accomplished, and the project has been given a green light.
"This is a gem. It really is. It's a diamond in the rough,GÇ¥ Flickinger said. "We think that once we get these bathrooms done people will start seeing what we see.GÇ¥
For more information about the Monroe Arts Council, please visit the website or the Facebook page-á.
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