Children's theater wants town to apply for state grant for renovations

FALLS VILLAGE — The Falls Village Children’s Theater Company has approached the Board of Selectmen about getting a grant from the state.

In a March 23 letter to the selectmen, theater company board member George F. Elling asked the town to consider applying for a grant from the Small Towns Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) to be used to renovate and develop a downtown building the company is planning to buy.

First Selectman Pat Mechare said there was little discussion at this month’s Board of Selectmen meeting when she presented the letter. She added that competition for the popular grants has grown considerably over the last few years, while state funding will probably decrease. The selectmen will likely discuss the issue further at next month’s regular meeting before deciding whether to pursue the grant.

"We are not suggesting a specific amount for this grant until the available funds for each town are determined," Elling wrote.

In an interview, Elling said the theater company has formed a committee to coordinate the use of the R&D Emerson building as a performing venue and a cultural and community center. The theater company plans to close on the property, which it is buying for $150,000, on April 25.

"We are in the final stages of acquiring the building," Elling said.

At a town meeting in December, voters overwhelmingly approved a donation by the town of $25,000 to the nonprofit theater company to help with the purchase of the building. In January, voters also approved granting an easement to the theater company to repair a septic system on town-owned land behind the property.

The purchase of the property has been delayed because one of the owners is in a nursing home, which tied the matter up in probate court for several weeks, Elling explained.

Theater company Executive Director Denise Cohn has said the 100-year-old former church and bookstore would require an estimated $350,000 in renovations and improvements.

The first floor of the approximately 3,000-square-foot building features two large rooms and a vaulted ceiling with 15 stained glass windows, an altar and a church organ. The building was constructed around the turn of the last century to replace the Second Methodist Church, which had just burned down in a fire that consumed much of downtown.

Elling said the group plans to hold an open house next month at the facility, which they plan to call the Falls Village Cultural and Community Center.