Press release

February 1, 2021

Elected Officials Announce Capital Budget Appropriations for Local Arts Organizations

At an event held this morning at Stambaugh Auditorium, State elected officials announced over $1.3 million in capital budget appropriations for local arts venues. Guy Coviello, Regional Chamber Foundation President, announced that of the $2.1 billion capital appropriations budget for fiscal years 2021 – 2022, a total of $3.7 million is allocated for projects in Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Of the $3.7 million for Mahoning and Trumbull counties, 36% or a total of $1,315,000 is allocated for projects to support local arts venues:

● Butler Institute of American Art will receive $275,000 in support of the Preservation of an American Cultural Treasure Project to protect the Butler’s priceless collection of artworks by upgrading the museum’s current environmental control system to a new state of the art system which will allow for precise control and monitoring of the indoor environment, as well as lower maintenance and repair costs.

● OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology will receive $350,000 for a reorganization and renovation project which will improve circulation and access for visitors & explorers, accommodate additional community and educational spaces and improve the acoustic quality of exhibit halls, work areas and classrooms.

● Stambaugh Auditorium will receive $350,000 for the Monumental Staircase and Facade Restoration project which will completely raze and rebuild the exterior staircase, promenade, retaining walls and piers, restore all decorative iron and metalwork, clean the facade of the building, and add exterior dimensional lighting. A vital component of the project will be the inclusion of handicapped accessibility of the grand entrance promenade as well as the addition of an ADA Compliant ramp which will provide access from the grand entrance promenade to the formal garden where the current accessible entrance is located. The ramp will be designed to mirror the historical architectural and design of the building.

● The City of Warren will receive a total of $340,000 for repairs at the Warren Community Amphitheater and W.D. Packard Music Hall. Certain concrete areas of the amphitheater are crumbling due to erosion of the ground beneath some sidewalks, ramp sections, and stage housing. In addition, some of the hand railings are also loosening thus creating a safety problem. $200,000 in capital funds will be used to address these issues through a reconfiguration of both the drainage system and the affected concrete walks and hand rails. At W. D. Packard Music Hall, $140,000 in capital funding will be used to replace the 20,000 sq. ft. roof. The current roof is over 25 years old and is well past its purposeful life. If not replaced it is very possible the structural integrity of the building could be at risk.

In attendance were State elected officials, Senators Matt Dolan and Michael Rulli, State Representatives Al Cutrona, Michelle Lepore-Hagan and Michael O’Brien, Regional Chamber Foundation President Guy Coviello, and representatives from local arts organizations, Rebecca Davis from the Butler Institute of American Art, Suzanne Barbati from OH WOW!, and JoAnn Stock and Matt Pagac from Stambaugh Auditorium.