A Sharon native is trying to keep a dream alive by restoring the Columbia Theatre as city officials are discussing a revitalization for downtown.

Tony Butala of The Lettermen said he wants to see the West State Street building refurbished and able to host concerts.

In July the board of directors of the Columbia Theatre, Inc., announced that they would shift their primary focus of the group from the renovation to a performing arts organization.

Butala -- who purchased the theater in 1984 at a tax auction and donated it to the non-profit Columbia Theatre organization -- said he has a personal attachment to the building and wants to see it restored.

Butala attended a public meeting Tuesday with a planning group that is putting ideas together to revitalize the city.

Though many people have recently discussed restoring the theater, work is at a standstill due to lack of support, said Pamela Voisey, executive director of the Columbia Theatre, Inc.

"People always talk about it," Mrs. Voisey said. She said the topic of the theater is like a "lightning rod to attract conversation" but that's all the farther the interest goes.

Butala said he spoke to Mrs. Voisey Friday morning and arranged a meeting of the board of directors, himself and Bob Crosby, who is the new director of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in Sharon. Butala said the meeting will take place in early April and will allow the group to discuss options for the building.

"I would like to see happen what I wanted to see happen in the early '80s," Butala said.

What he wanted to see happen then was not only to prevent the theater from being razed but to bring it back to its original glory.

The entrance of the building, which was used for live theater and movies, was destroyed by a fire in 1981. The building sat vacant for years, during which time a bad roof and Mother Nature took their toll on the structure.

Mrs. Voisey said the estimated cost to refurbish the building is $4 million to $6 million. At this point she said the group "can't go forward with the renovations" because it's not feasible.

The board felt an obligation to the people who have contributed money over the years, Mrs. Voisey said. She said they felt asking people to contribute $4 million to the building was not the best way to use the money.

The organization wanted to sell the theater to an interested party and work in a partnership to restore the building, but Mrs. Voisey said they received no serious inquiries.

Mrs. Voisey said the board members feel they have exhausted their financial possibilities but they're willing to consider serious help.

"If someone out there can do this project, wonderful," she said.

Butala said he thinks that with a joint effort it can be done.

Butala said Crosby, who previously worked to bring entertainment acts to Cafaro Field in Youngstown, will help to develop fund-raising ideas.

"I don't look backwards. I'm not going to critique past efforts," Butala said. "The time is right, now, for all of us together to look to the future. We're all on the same wavelength here."

Butala said Crosby is "pretty optimistic" the doors of the theater could be open within a year. A minimum amount of work to get things started is all Butala expects to see happen in the beginning.