ROANOKE TIMES Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times DATE: Thursday, September 5, 1996 TAG: 9609050061 SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-11 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY DATELINE: PULASKI SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
The Friends of the Pulaski Theatre group will give Pulaski Town Council its thoughts on the 85-year-old landmark's future and restoration later this month.
After the theater closed in 1992 and the building was given to Pulaski County, the Friends group organized to preserve the downtown landmark. Despite raising some money and lots of volunteer work, the effort has been unsuccessful.
The group tried to turn the effort over to the town's Economic Development Board, but that board has all the projects it can handle. The town had donated $10,000 toward saving the former vaudeville and movie house, but the cost will be many times that amount.
If the Friends organization dissolves as expected, such contributions would be returned to the donors - unless some other organization takes on the project. Town Economic Development Director Barry Matherly said he understood an effort was being made to establish such an organization, but he did not know whether or how soon that would happen.
Supervisor Bruce Fariss had suggested in 1994 that the county demolish the building for downtown parking. But the Board of Supervisors gave the Friends another year to get some kind of restoration work under way. That extension is up this month.
"I'd like to see the building saved, myself," Pulaski Town Councilman Charles Stewart told other town Finance Committee members Tuesday. He suggested seeing if the county would give the building to the town, "since they got it for nothing," and having the town administrative staff look into what kind of liabilities would be involved in accepting it.
Vice Mayor W.H. "Rocky" Schrader said the county at one time had offered the building to the town, which declined to accept it. Town Attorney Frank Terwilliger urged caution in accepting the building without a plan for its use.
"At least we won't have Bruce Fariss tearing it town," Councilwoman Polly Mitchell said.
Since the building is designated as a historic landmark, Matherly said, the county could not get rid of it for one year. The Economic Development Board's executive committee tabled the Friends' request to take on the project, he said, but agreed informally that it would do no more than act as an agent putting any organization or individual interested in doing something with the building in touch with the county. "That would be the only agreement we would enter into."
Town Manager Tom Combiths said the Friends group, once it has held its final meeting, wants to address council on the theater's future.
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