City OKs step in Eagles project

By Joseph Slacian | The Paper of Wabash County

Mayor Scott Long now has the authority to sign the Eagles Theatre construction contract.

The Wabash City Council, by a 7-0 vote Tuesday night, Oct. 10, gave Long the authority to do so.

He must do so, according to project manager Tina Henderson, because a portion of the renovation work is part of the city’s Stellar Community Grant program. Long’s authority is only for the portion of the restoration that is part of the Stellar program.

“I ask that the Council look at this as the project owner, and not the building owner,” Henderson said, noting that is how it is viewed by the Office of Community and Rural Affairs guidelines.

Also under the guidelines, the Council must sign off on all bills related to the project.

OCRA will provide $1.7 million of the $2.44 million project. Funding also will come from a Wabash Marketplace Inc. grant and a bond anticipation note from the city.

The council unanimously committed $319,109 from a bond anticipation note it currently holds toward the project. In addition, Wabash Marketplace Inc. has earmarked $200,000 from its façade program toward the project.

The Stellar project includes work on the first and fourth floors of the Eagles Theatre, as well as work on the heating and air conditioning, preserving the outside of the building, installation of a fire sprinkler system, upgrades to the electrical service and work on the building’s elevator and stairways.

In another matter, no one spoke during a brief public hearing on the city’s proposed budget, tax levy and tax rate. The council, during its regular meeting, unanimously approved the spending plan.