Published Sunday, August 4, 2002
the Columbia
Herald Staff Writer
Every Tuesday for the past five weeks, an unlikely group has been working at the Columbia Theatre, cleaning up so the public can get a peek inside the building that was ruined more than two decades ago.
They aren't exactly volunteers. They're inmates.
A crew of 10 men from the State Regional Correctional Facility at Mercer have helped remove debris from the inside of the downtown Sharon theater, said Bob Crosby, president and chief executive officer of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation. The foundation bought the theater in June and intends to restore it.
Crosby said he got the idea to use prison labor from the Columbia's former owners. Crosby said he heard that Columbia Theatre, Inc., had inmates help with earlier restoration efforts and that the arrangement worked out well.
"Why reinvent the wheel?" Crosby said. He contacted the prison about getting a crew to help out.
"I wasn't sure what to expect but I'm very pleased. They (the inmates) have, quite frankly, been a pleasure to work with," Crosby said. "It was a good collaborative effort with everyone working hard."
"The guys have been very helpful cleaning up all the debris," Crosby said. He said they removed several Dumpsters full of debris from the building.
Now reconstruction work can start on major items like electrical work, plumbing and other repairs, Crosby said.
"I'm very pleased. The support (from the public) both physical and moral has been good. The progress has been good," Crosby said.
The theater will be open at 3 p.m. Aug. 19 for anyone who wants to see the building.
The Oak Ridge Boys will be at the Vocal Group Hall of Fame from 1:30 to 3 p.m. that day, signing autographs and meeting fans. Then the group will tour the theater. Tony Butala, founder of both The Lettermen and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, will also join the tour.
The Columbia Theatre was abandoned after a January 1981 fire destroyed the entrance to the building. Years of neglect left other major damage to the building, which Butala bought at auction in 1984.
Butala gave the building to Columbia Theatre, Inc., a non-profit group whose original mission was to restore the building. Their efforts came to a halt several years ago after the group shifted its focus from restoration of the building to theater productions for adults and children.
In May the board of Columbia Theatre, Inc., voted to put the building up for auction. Butala made an offer to assume Columbia Theatre, Inc.'s debt of up to $10,000 in exchange for the building but the board rejected the offer.
In June the Vocal Group Hall of Fame made another offer to buy the building -- not just assume debt -- for $10,000; the board accepted the offer.
Both Butala and Crosby said they are planning to study the theater and determine the best renovation options. Meeting code standards and completing bare minimum work on the building to hold fundraising concerts is at the top of the priority list for the pair.
Crosby said they've made progress on the building and he's pleased with the work that's been accomplished so far.
You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharon-herald.com