09 Move to approve a resolution authorizing an application for a certified Local Governement Grant for restoration of the front facade of the Grand Theater

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PROJECT PROPOSAL CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROJECT TITLE: The Grand Theater Facade Restoration Project PROJECT NEED: Located in historic downtown Paris, constructed circa 1917, and designed by architect Jake Elder, who also designed the Interstate Theater chain, The Grand Theater, a National Register historic property, was the largest theater in Paris for over fifty years and its fly-loft was the tallest west of the Mississippi for many years. It was ariginally operated as an opera house and was converted to a movie theater in the late 1920s. It remained in operation until 1996, and it has been vacant since that time. The Grand is located in the Downtown District of Paris, and although the condition of this and other buildings in the area contribute heavily to blight there specifically, the entire community is negatively impacted because the heart of our community is rapidly deteriorating. In early 2007, the City Council of the City of Paris declared the Main Street District a blight because of the condition of several buildings and the infrastructure in the District. Additionally, the Texas Historical Commission named The Grand Theater to the list of Texas's Fourteen Most Endangered Historic Landmarks in 2007. In recent years, businesses which have been staples in the Downtown have relocated to strip shopping centers. Reasons have included the deteriorating condition of both the buildings they occupy and those surrounding them. A few new busmesses have popped up here and there for brief periods, but most have not succeeded. When buildings have sold, they have been sold at low costs to individuals who have not had the additional funding necessary to properly maintain them. In the Downtown, there are a number of buildings which are severely deteriorated. There are two burned out lots, three buildings which have no roofs on them at all and exist only as hulls, one large historic apartment building whose facade is sloughing off and falling to the sidewalk below, and a minimum of seventeen (17) building with badly deteriorating roofs. Although restoration projects are increasing as of late, there are six times as many that remain in substandard condition because the property owners have not undertaken necessary maintenance of the buildings. The downtown buildings, once housing a variety of businesses that made up the bustling heart of the city, have been relegated to antique and junk stores on the lower floors with upper floors being used for storage. In virtually every building in the Downtown, the roofs are at best in poor condition. Renovations of the buildings during the 1970s added lead paint and asbestos ceiling tiles, flooring and mastic, and wall joints, etc. to the buildings, making the cost of renovation extremely expensive because of the requirement that the hazards be mitigated prior to any renovation or restoration projects. Citizens of Paris, as in any other community, expect the government to take the lead role in beautification, especially when it comes to its own property. By restoring this important landmark and visual gateway to the Downtown District, the City can show other property owners in the area its own sincere commitment to preservation. " 000036