MAC to focus on community center
Marion Advancement Campaign recently announced a modification of its first proposed project.
A community center will be the focus of the foundation's first project instead of a movie theater and community center.
Various fund-raisers and solicitations were successful in obtaining a five-acre tract of land and pursuit of a grant. Unfortunately, the MAC board could not raise sufficient funding to proceed with its initial grant opportunity, and decided to forego the movie theater portion from the project.
"The directors stress that while the foundation's first goal has been a building project, it exists to do much more," said board member Jeff Cady.
The foundation is sponsoring two annual scholarships for Marion High School graduates and will continue to function for continued improvements to Marion.
Although the entire project cannot be accomplished, the group has been successful on a smaller scale.
"A target amount was set for small to moderate size donations," said Cady. "The target was exceeded. It was necessary to find a tract of land, suitable in size and location, at little or no cost. This was done."
Land on Eisenhower Drive, near Marion Baseball Complex, was acquired.
The foundation also appreciated the community's support with volunteer labor for construction of a building, and support from the City of Marion and private utility companies.
The stumbling block in the project was the receipt of larger donations of $25,000 to $50,000. In return, donors could have named the community center, a movie theater, and lobby.
Research indicated a two-screen theater could succeed in Marion but with the lack of donations, the theater project could not be completed.
Another factor in the group making the decision to shift the focus of the project are changes to the KanStep grant program that was going to be used for the project. The amount of grant funds available for projects has been reduced by $200,000.
The architect used by the foundation for the theater/community center project has designed the plans for a community center (with a kitchen, bathrooms, and other amenities), and the possibility of adding a movie theater in the future.
MAC now will focus all efforts on the construction of a community center. Naming opportunities still exist for individuals willing to donate large amounts.
Fund-raisers are being planned and more information will be released at later dates.
