The ever-blooming Rose
By Suzanne Werre, BHG News Service
Anyone involved with the Underwood Arts Council and its planned renovation of the former Rose Theater on Lincoln Ave. knew when they signed on they had a big job -- make that many big jobs -- ahead of them, but the members of the council will soon be able to consider job one finished. On April 1, the council will be officially purchasing the old Rose Theater building, currently called Sophia’s Fancies, on Lincoln Ave. for “less than the price of an iPad,” according to council vice president Beth Utecht. The council will be buying the building from current owner Bob Timm for $500. Then the real work begins. The building has deteriorated, and many thousands of dollars will need to be put into the renovation of the building, the first requirement being the repair of the roof, to stop water from leaking into the building. “Once the roof is done, everything else can start falling into place,” said Utecht, who chaired a recent meeting of the council as well as others who came to hear about the potential plans for the old theater building. Once the roof is tackled, next on the list is major clean-up, which includes eliminating the black mold that has taken root in some of the building. The bathrooms will definitely have to be re-done, and other than that, what will really need to be done has yet to be seen. They won’t really know what all will need to be done until they get in there and start doing some cleaning and demolition. There is no asbestos that they know of, but there is lead paint, so that will have to be dealt with. While talk of an arts council and reviving The Rose has been tried before, Utecht thinks this group, with this plan, has a real shot at making the rebirth of The Rose a reality. The diversity of the group involved, who all have different backgrounds, all share the same passion, reviving The Rose.
