Fundraisers target $6.2M to restore theater in Boone

BOONE, N.C. — Fundraising consultants released a "very, very preliminary" figure this week of $6.2 million as a goal for restoring the Appalachian Theatre. 

Three representatives of Whitney Jones Inc. attended Wednesday's committee meetings for the first time to share their early recommendations and participate in discussions on the King Street theater.

The figure includes about $600,000 as repayment to the town of Boone, which purchased the 1938 theater at a foreclosure auction last year for $624,000. The town advanced the money to the Downtown Boone Development Association, which has three years to repay the expense.

Also included was approximately $1.2 million for operations for the theater's first three years, leaving about $4.2 million for renovation and improvements.

Whitney Jones himself said that while the numbers are all hypothetical, he and his staff believe that $6 million is about the maximum level Boone can sustain for fundraising.

Typically, a $6 million campaign might require a $1 million gift, three $500,000 gifts and dozens of lesser gifts, Jones said.

"It's the rarity of those very large gifts that really puts a ceiling on this," he said. "The one thing you always want to watch out for is beginning with something that sounds so large that no one's going to give."

The $4.2 million figure was met with concern from several on the finance committee, which recently received a $6.9 million estimate from one firm looking at one optional renovation and expansion plan for the theater.

Frank Mohler, professor emeritus in the ASU Theatre and Dance Department, noted that it cost $300,000 for theater equipment alone when ASU's Valborg Theatre was renovated — and that was 18 years ago.

"We've got a budget problem," said committee member Andy Stallings. "We've got $4 million to spend and a $6 million to $7 million appetite."

Much of Wednesday's discussion centered on which items and upgrades would be needed to draw certain types of performance groups from inside and outside the community. 

Does it need an orchestra pit and a fly system to hoist scenery? Does it need meeting space and prop storage rooms? Does it need rehearsal space and upgraded electrical and lighting?Some with experience in the theater world noted that features a community group would consider extravagant might be considered bare minimum to another group.

Whitney Jones Inc. representatives stressed that it would be important for the committees to agree on a unified plan to present to the community. 

Pilar Fotta, downtown development coordinator for the town of Boone, said she and other committee members will be working to outline and prioritize exactly which features are needed for each type of production. They then must consider what each type of programming would add to the budget versus what it would likely draw in revenue, she said.

"We know we can't be all things to all people, but we would really like to plan this, so we can accommodate as many members of the community as possible," Fotta said.

Between now and late May, the firm will survey the community and conduct about 25 to 30 interviews to test the fundraising possibilities in Boone, said Terri Dillon, vice president of client services for Whitney Jones Inc.

Until the process is complete, Dillon said they do not have enough information to accurately determine how much money is reasonable to raise — and from where it will flow. Those figures, in turn, will help determine how big the committees can dream.

"It, really, is a fact-finding mission that we go on, and the plans can change based on what we find in the campaign survey, for sure," Dillon said.

The committees will meet next on April 4 at the Watauga County Public Library. Community members are welcome to attend and participate. The group is also looking for people interested in serving on the board of directors for the theater. More information is available at www.boone-nc.org.

WSOC