Latest news with #Bartos
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alumni hope to raise hype, funds to restore historic Greer Garson Theatre at midtown
By his own admission Tom Bartos is a better actor than he is a singer or dancer, but he still has fond memories of performing in a 1990 production of A Chorus Line as a student at the College of Santa Fe. Directed by one of the members of the musical's original Broadway run, the production kicked off the 25th season at the college's Greer Garson Theatre. 'We had to extend it a couple times, I believe, because it was selling out,' Bartos recalled in a recent interview. 'It was such a joyous, celebratory time for the theater.' In the ensuing 35 years, the college changed hands and subsequently went out of business, leaving the performing arts space Bartos remembers so fondly standing empty. As city officials conduct initial efforts to bring the theater back to life at the now city-owned midtown campus on St. Michael's Drive, he and a group of alumni are working to rally support. 'Everything I have now, everything I've learned or I've been able to achieve now, is because of that theater, because of that school, and I want to try to pay it back,' said Bartos, who now works as a video editor and has an Emmy for covering the 2022 Winter Olympics. Garson_Theatre_exterior.jpg (copy) The entrance to the Greer Garson Theatre Center in July 2024. Bartos is president of the newly formed Greer Garson Performing Arts Alliance, a nonprofit made up primarily of alumni from St. Michael's College, the College of Santa Fe and the Santa Fe University of Art and Design. He said he views the organization as an advocacy group to gin up community support — and hopefully money — for a new iteration of the historic theater. The city is also taking steps to explore the theater's future. On Wednesday, the City Council approved a budget adjustment resolution to move $794,164 in lodgers tax revenue into the Arts and Culture Department's budget, $60,000 of which will go toward a feasibility study of future restoration and use of the Greer Garson as part of the redevelopment of former college campus. Arts and Culture Director Chelsey Johnson said the study will focus on the physical condition of the building and what a future management model could look like. Opened in 1965 and named after the Academy Award-winning actress Greer Garson, the theater at the College of Santa Fe was designed by Phillippe Register, who was responsible for many of the other iconic buildings on campus as well. At 32,628 square feet, the performing arts complex includes a main theater with an orchestra pit and seating for more than 500 people, a black box performance space that seats 90, and rehearsal rooms, classrooms and storage space. 020525 jw garson theatre Opened in 1965 and named after the Academy Award-winning actress Greer Garson, the theater at the College of Santa Fe was designed by Phillippe Register, who was responsible for many of the other iconic buildings on campus as well. The performing arts complex has been completely vacant since the Santa Fe University of Art and Design closed its doors in 2018 and would need significant upgrades to make it useable, Johnson said. 'It's been used by film crews as a wardrobe space, primarily, but because there's no sprinkler system in it, it's not up to code,' she said. 'So in order to be used even by them they have to have a fire safety professional on site at all times.' A request for proposals for a contractor for the study states the city ultimately seeks 'a developer and operator with the capacity and experience to rehabilitate and operate the Greer Garson Theatre' as a public theater with a range of community-focused programming, citing the Public Theater and Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City as models. The request for proposals states the city will dispose of the property in 'as-in condition.' The scope of work for the contractor includes conducting a building assessment, and creating redevelopment and operations and management strategies. Participation of city departments — including Tourism, Arts and Culture and Economic Development — and local performing arts organizations is stipulated, with LiveArts, the Santa Fe Art Institute, Creative Santa Fe and the Center for Contemporary Arts being specifically named as external stakeholders. 020525 jw garson theatre Members of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Commission get a look around the Greer Garson Theatre during a Feb. 5 tour of the midtown campus. On Wednesday, the City Council approved a budget adjustment resolution to move $794,164 in lodgers tax revenue into the Arts and Culture Department's budget, $60,000 of which will go toward a feasibility study of future restoration and use of the theater as part of the redevelopment of former college campus. The city was initially pursuing entering into an exclusive negotiated agreement with LiveArts for the redevelopment of the theater, similar to its plans for a film studio and visual arts center on the midtown campus. LiveArts was the only applicant who entered a proposal for the theater, and in March 2024 the city announced in a news release the bid was canceled after the two entities 'mutually agreed that the best path forward is for the City to redevelop the theater.' Johnson said the negotiations with LiveArts happened before she joined the city, but her understanding is that things didn't come together the way the parties hoped. 'It turned out to not be so feasible, which is, I think, partly why we're doing this actual feasibility study to really have a clear sense of what will help us to successfully redevelop and reactivate it,' she said. Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Director Daniel Hernandez said LiveArts remains an important partner and will have a seat at the table. 'We're going to include them in this conversation,' he said. SKM_450i24040217460 Actress Greer Garson outside her namesake venue in 1975. Hernandez said honoring the heritage of buildings like the Greer Garson Theatre is crucial to development at midtown. 'They're the landmarks for the future of midtown because they hold so much memory for people,' he said. 'People want to come back to midtown specifically to see these buildings.' The request for proposals sets a four-month timeline for the work, and Johnson said her hope is for the feasibility study to be completed by this fall, after which the findings will be shared with city councilors. Hernandez said an organization has been selected to complete the work and a contract is in the process of being finalized. He said the contractor is national a firm that serves as an arts and culture consultant but which also has a background in arts-focused affordable housing. 'We're excited to bring them on board,' he said. Along with the feasibility study, Hernandez said the city is also working with alum Kelly Kuhn to host some outdoor concerts in the midtown quad this fall. Hernandez said he's excited by the interest college alumni have for the project. To date, Bartos said, the Greer Garson Performing Arts Alliance has more than 200 members, mostly alumni from the 1980s and 1990s. The colleges 'didn't really keep up with alumni relations, so we're kind of doing double duty and trying to find all these people and track them down,' Bartos said. SKM_450i24040217480 The Greer Garson Theatre under construction, circa 1965. Part of reaching out to alumni from across the country as well as building connections within the local arts scene is exploring who or what entities might be able to support the project financially, Bartos said, noting that money will play a big role in any discussions of the Greer's future. 'With film it's easier because movies can make money,' he said. '… Live theater is a little different, especially in this town, since it's more visual art focused.' However, Bartos said he's optimistic a coalition of groups will come together so the Greer can resume its place in the city's arts and culture scene. 'If there's a way to bring people back ... it doesn't need to be preserved in amber or anything,' he said. 'It's going to change, but just as long as there's life on campus, I think that'd be a great thing that the alumni could be proud of.'
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
West Lafayette granted $581K from Indiana's Community Crossings for road construction
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has announced more than $200 million will be shelled out in matching grants through the Community Crossings programs, with West Lafayette to see a sizable amount. The city of West Lafayette will receive $581,082.70, according to a news release, to be used for repairing road infrastructure throughout the city. Natalia Bartos, West Lafayette city engineer, said the money will be put toward several projects, one of which will be for "asphalt rejuvenation" on Fowler Avenue. This project, Bartos said, involves applying an asphalt rejuvenator to a 316-foot-long section of Fowler Avenue to preserve its good condition and delay future deterioration. Another area where the money will be used, Bartos said, is milling and resurfacing of several roads. Among those slated for work are Northwestern Avenue, Littleton Street, South Street and Chauncey Avenue. This work will include the removal of 2 inches of asphalt, which are then replaced, Bartos said, along with localized patching to address structural deficiencies. The Community Crossings Matching Grant program, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation's website, matches up to $1.5 million annually when localities invest in road and bridge repairs. The program was established by the Indiana General Assembly in 2016. Counties with populations fewer than 50,000 and cities and towns with populations fewer than 10,000 receive a 75%/25% match, INDOT's website said, while counties with populations greater than 50,000 and cities and towns with populations greater than 10,000 receive a 50%/50% match. "Traffic control measures will be in place for all projects to ensure public safety during construction," Bartos said. "The city is committed to maintaining our infrastructure proactively, and this grant funding plays a key role in supporting those efforts." Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@ This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: West Lafayette receives $581K from state grant for resurfacing roads
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fish dinners return at St. Patrick Church in Hubbard after 5 years
HUBBARD, Ohio (WKBN) — Parishioners of a local church are happy to be back serving the weekly dinners during the 2025 Lenten season. The anticipation has been building at St. Patrick Church in Hubbard to kick off its Lenten Friday Fish Dinners. 'We're really looking forward to having a great night tonight,' said Deacon John Bartos. 'We have baked fish, we have fried fish and we also have Italian fish.'Parishioners spent Friday morning packaging coleslaw and applesauce. 'It's work but it's fun, it's always made fun,' said parishioner Anne Schur. Meanwhile, Paul Zuzik prepared the dumpling dough for his homemade haluski in the church's new kitchen. 'Everyone else boils noodles. We don't do that. We look to set ourselves apart a little bit,' Zuzik said. It's been five years since the church has been able to offer these weekly lenten meals after it was halted mid-season in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. A fire at the church the following year closed the parish building until renovations were completed last March. 'We put all our faith and all our trust in God and we're not afraid and we keep moving forward to here we are today — the family of God all together,' Bartos said. Volunteers have spent the last few days preparing for the meals once again and are excited to be offering fish dinners this lent. 'This is all just really wonderful. Thank god that we can do this,' Schur said. The Lenten Friday meals at St. Patrick's are served from 4 to 7 p.m. It even offers full-service sit-down dinners for folks who dine in. Money raised from the fish dinners goes to support the church and its ministries. 'It's much more than just a fish dinner to us — it's bringing back our whole community,' Bartos said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
