$100,000 visitors improvement grant will provide funding for phase three of auditorium restoration

​YORK – A $100,000 visitors improvement grant will provide funding for the third phase of renovation/restoration work in the York City Auditorium.

​Visitors improvement grant funds are generated by lodging tax receipts collected in York County. The York County Visitors Bureau Board of Directors considers all grant applications and then makes recommendations to the York County Commissioners who ultimately make the decisions on the grants.
This week, York Parks and Recreation Director Cheree Folts and York County Visitors Bureau Director Alex Saathoff met with the York County Commissioners to discuss the application.
Saathoff explained how the city had initially asked for a $128,000 grant. “The board unanimously agreed to recommend a $100,000 grant.”
“This will be used to refinish the gym floor, purchase a new marquis sign outside and have new stage lighting installed,” Saathoff explained.
Folts noted how the city finished a $3.8 million renovation project a few years ago, “which will provide 50-plus more years of use of the historic auditorium, rather than have us lose that building. That renovation was phase one. Then work was done with acoustics in phase two. Now we are coming back to ask for funds to resurface the 1993 gym floor”
She noted how the auditorium had serious heating and air conditioning issues years ago, before the major renovation project, and a result of those earlier temperature issue had caused the floor to expand and contract – leaving behind “dead spots.”
This grant will also pay for a new marquis sign outside – the current one has not worked in a long time.
And it will replace the stage lighting – Folts noted how the current lighting is original to the building.
“The city auditorium sees a lot of events, of many different kinds,” Folts added. “In the last fiscal year, 985 events were held in auditorium. It gets used by so many people we want to keep it maintained as an attraction in York County.”
York County Commissioner Chairman Randy Obermier, who also sits on the YCVB Board, said, “some of us remember going to basketball games there when we were younger and it’s fun to see it still be used for the CRC games, kind of brings us back. It is an iconic building, it holds a lot of history, it is a destination and it is well used.”
Saathoff said the current balance in the visitors improvement fund is $319,489, so there is plenty of available money for this project.
It should be noted this money – which is lodging tax money – can only be used for physical improvements to attractions/facilities which draw people to York County.
“And we see between $20,000 and $25,000 coming in each month,” Saathoff added. “There are no payouts (for other projects) scheduled to come out of this fund, right now.”
“I think it’s wonderful we get to keep the auditorium, it’s here and it’s being used,” said Commissioner Daniel Grotz. “In the past I’ve been hesitant for this money to be used for public-owned buildings and $100,000 is a big chunk. But I think it does attract people. It might be a little easier to swallow if it wasn’t such a big amount.”
Grotz also noted how visitors improvement funds were also used, years ago, to install the existing marquis sign.
“And we have also partnered with the city for the sign outside the Holthus Convention Center,” Obermier added.
Folts said the three portions of the project will be put out for bids and they will be looking at the most competitive, with the intent to get the best deal while also getting the projects done in the fastest timeframe possible.
All the commissioners said yes to the $100,000 grant.