by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
A cutback in funding for art-related institutions is putting a crunch on renovation plans at the Historic Snyder Memorial building at the corner of Monroe and Laura streets.
Home to the St. Johns River City Band, the group applied for a State grant last year to restore the 100-year-old building. Its historic importance and benefit to the community made it a likely candidate for the $285,000 grant.
Much has changed since then. The grant didn’t receive legislative approval and now the band must find new financial backers. Compounding the problem is an increase in projected costs.
“We did run into asbestos we didn’t expect to find in the rafters and the walls,” said Bobi McGinnis, executive director of the organization. “That was our biggest cost overrun.”
Returning a historic structure to its original state is quite costly. For Snyder Memorial, that number jumped from $1.8 million to $2.4 million. Much of the first phase has involved infrastructure upgrades to the plumbing and electrical systems. In order to install the new air conditioning system, the massive unit had to be dropped through the stage to the basement. The pipe organ that has remained in the hall since its conception as a church will be built into the right side of the stage. The Gothic tower at the corner of the church will be used for sound and lighting equipment.
To help fund the project, the band is selling vintage bricks from the structure, complete with a personalized plaque, for $100 each. If they sell all 500 bricks, they could be back in the black. The official plan is to tap private resources or alternate grants.
“We have some sources we’re looking at,” said McGinnis. “If those sources come through, then we can go forward. It they don’t, then we’re going to have to stop. We’re working closely with our architect and construction people. If we do have to stop, it will cost us more to shut down and then start up again then if we can keep a stream going.”
One other bright spot is that City funding will likely remain available. McGinnis is confident Mayor-elect John Peyton will continue Mayor John Delaney’s commitment to the arts.
Still, there is cause for concern when it comes to government funding.
“We all go to the same people for dollars,” she said. “The cultural community is really going to be hit. It won’t affect us as much as other cultural organizations [because of historic preservation funding sources]. There are private sources that are very interested in funding. We’re probably going to go to more corporate and individual sources in the coming year.”