Wayne Theatre’s future questioned

By Jimmy LaRoue

Published: May 10, 2008

Whispers of the Wayne Theatre’s looming demise, springing from the lips of some of the renovation project’s most ardent supporters, are exaggerated.
So said Bill Hausrath, chairman of the Wayne Theatre Alliance and the face of the effort to refurbish the structure in the heart of downtown.
“We intend to build the theater,” Hausrath said.
Speculation about the project’s future built quickly in the wake of Tuesday’s election romp by the conservative City Council bloc led by Frank Lucente, an outspoken opponent of city money for the Wayne.
Lucente and ally Bruce Allen picked up more than 60 percent of the vote in the council’s two contested races, toppling candidates backed by Hausrath – at-large challenger Jeremy Taylor and former alliance board member Chris Graham.
That places in jeopardy $700,000 in additional city taxpayer money for the Wayne over the next decade. The city earlier this year signed an incentives-laden performance agreement with the alliance for that money after kicking in $300,000 last spring for the project.
Lucente and his bloc, Allen and Councilman Tim Williams, oppose additional city money for the theater.
“Regardless of what the [performance-agreement] criteria is, I’m not giving them any more money,” Lucente said.
Alliance officials declared entering the election that without the extra city money, the theater’s future is uncertain.
After being overwhelmed by Allen in the Ward B race Tuesday, Graham echoed the worries. The project, he said, “is very much in question.”
Several days later, Hausrath brushed aside the concerns.
“I think it’s very safe to say that the alliance’s vision for the future of Waynesboro continues to center around a restored Wayne Theatre,” he said.
The alliance plans to complete the $6.8 million renovation next year, transforming the broken-down brick edifice on West Main into a 344-seat, state-of-the-art center for the performing arts and film. As of April 24, the alliance had raised $2 million in a $2.75-million public fundraising campaign started in November. The alliance plans an additional $1 million in state and federal grants and $1.5 million in state and federal historic tax credits.
While Hausrath bills the project as a catalyst for revitalizing downtown – the alliance Web site brandishes the slogan: “A New Wayne … A New Waynesboro” – it has proved a divisive enterprise. Backers include such prominent business figures as nTelos Senior Vice President Mary McDermott, but opposition has welled among the rank-and-file voters who helped drive Lucente and Allen to victory.
The problem, Lucente said, is not the project itself but the inclusion of city money in the deal. Private donors, not the city, hold the key to the Wayne, he said.
If theater backers give up, he added, “it has nothing to do with the council. I don’t think they’re going to give up.”
If they do, there are ramifications, said Vice Mayor Nancy Dowdy, who twice has voted to approve city money for the Wayne.
The city would still be obligated to pay $300,000 to demolish the building, or $417,000 to replace a failing roof that compromises the structural integrity of the historical landmark. Dowdy said that had she been on council when the city accepted the Wayne Theatre from R/C Theatre in December 1999, she would have considered not doing so.
Lucente and Williams opposed both the first payout to the Wayne and the performance agreement signed in January. Both initiatives passed with the backing of the current majority bloc made up of Dowdy, Mayor Tom Reynolds and Councilwoman Lorie Smith.
Theater backers have warned that reneging on the performance agreement would have implications that extend beyond the Wayne. Other developers would have cause to doubt the city’s word, they say.
“There’s a lot of issues at play,” Dowdy said. “This, to me, is not setting a very good precedent of our city government at work on economic development issues.”
“This is much bigger than the dollar amount we’re putting on it, on many levels,” she added.
Lucente, who has made “significant” personal donations to the alliance, said $300,000 and numerous staff time is “a very significant contribution to the community.”
“I don’t have any opposition to helping them privately,” Lucente said.
He said it would be up to the next council to choose whether to give the alliance money based on the performance agreement criteria.
Dowdy views it differently: “This council has obligated themselves to see this through.”

Money tree
A look at the Wayne Theatre Alliance funding plan for a $6.8 million renovation of the Wayne:
$2.75 million — Capital fundraising campaign
$1 million — City money
$700,000 — State grants
$300,000 — Federal grant
$1.5 million — State, federal historic tax credits
$550,000 — Other grants, gifts

Wayne slate
A look at the Wayne Theatre Alliance’s timeline for funding and opening the theater:
2007
April: The City Council approves $300,000 for the Wayne.
September: Department of Historic Resources approves restoration.
October: Alliance announces it has raised $1.7 million in a silent fundraising campaign.
November: Public phase of capital campaign launched.
December: Interim financing completed, contract signed with construction manager.
2008
January: Construction begins, the City Council approves $700,000 performance agreement, city Economic Development Authority transfers building to newly established Wayne Theatre LLC.
October: First spring and summer season to be announced.
2009
January: First fall and winter season to be announced.
May: “Lighting of the Wayne” celebration to be held.
June: Official opening of the Wayne to be held.