PLATTSBURGH — During performances at the Charles R. Wood Theater, downtown Glens Falls sees accompanying foot traffic.
That's what community leaders had hoped when it began the process of establishing the theater in the former Woolworth building.
"Perseverance and never giving up is what you need to do to get to the end of the road," Thomas Hoy, chairman and CEO of Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company, told the crowd in Plattsburgh State's Frances and Hyman Krinovitz Recital Hall.
The focus of the recent "State of the Arts" presentation, hosted by the Partnership for Community Development as part of its Vision2Action plan, was how the arts are important to economic development.
INITIALLY REBUFFED
Hoy said downtown Glens Falls was struggling in 1995. Much of its former retail sector had moved to the mall and strip malls in the Town of Queensbury. A group of business leaders gathered several times to discuss ways to revitalize downtown and formed a nonprofit economic development corporation named Partners for Progress. Working with a consultant, they did a community assessment that identified three key locations to help revitalize downtown.
One of those was the Woolworth building, which was available after the company closed its Glens Falls store. They were able to acquire the building and then worked to develop it.
They were initially rebuffed by the developers they approached. One of them told them a developer would only be interested if the area already had significant foot traffic.
As they started to study alternative uses for the building, they were approached by David Turner and Martha Banta, members of the group that had founded the Adirondack Regional Theater in 1995. They were looking for a home for the 1996 summer season and thought the Woolworth building would fit the bill.
NEEDED CREDIBILITY
After several years of performances, Partners for Progress saw that a theater could have a positive economic impact on downtown Glens Falls. Turner took a leave of absence from his theater work in New York City to work with the group to create the theater.
The next big step was when the Charles R. Wood Foundation provided a $250,000 challenge grant, to be matched by the community. The foundation provided an additional $250,000 once the matching funds were secured.
Hoy said the credibility the project gained through the foundation's charity can't be overemphasized.
"We needed credibility almost more than we needed money," he said.
The project was initially estimated to cost $2.7 million, an amount that grew to $3.6 million. Work started in 2003 and was completed in 2004, and has been part of the community's downtown revitalization.
Hoy said they are continuing to explore ways to increase foot traffic during the day, as most performances at the theater are at night.
It's important to remain focused on a long-term vision, he emphasized.
"If you're going to work on something like this, think in increments of 10 years, not one or two," he said.
'VAST DIFFERENCE'
CVPH Medical Center President and CEO Stephens Mundy spoke next.
"I want to talk from the hospital's perspective (about) what the Strand Theater and the arts would mean," he said.
Mundy said the hospital's head recruiter has repeatedly told him how important a vibrant arts scene is to that effort. The municipalities where they do their recruiting all have a strong arts presence, he said.
The North Country Cultural Center for the Arts is in its seventh year of its $4 million restoration campaign. It needs another $770,000 to reach that goal, he said, which could result in a completed project next summer.
"It would make a vast difference if we could walk them through the Strand Theater," Mundy said.
Performances by the Chamber Trio, Plattsburgh State Cardinal Singers, Peru High School Musical Theater, Tom Lavin of the Adirondack Regional Theater and Guibord's North Country School of Ballet were interspersed throughout the event.
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