Opera House renovation making headway

DELPHI, Ind. (WLFI) - It's a building that dates back to 1865.

"The first event was a dance for soldiers, returning home from the Civil War," said Opera House Advisory Board Chair, Anita Werling.

But now, the Opera House in Delphi is getting a $4-million face lift and will open as a community center.

"Anything from musical performances to theatrical performances, weddings, wedding receptions. All of those events will draw hundreds of people into the community," said Werling.

Werling said the preservation of the Opera House is one of the biggest projects underway in the Stellar Community. She said the Delphi Preservation Society will work with the city to come up with the funds to match the Stellar Community grant.

"$2.5 million of that, comes from the Stellar funding through the state. Then, $1.5 million will be raised by the Delphi Preservation Society as the match for that," said Werling.

An informational work session was held for the Delphi City Council Thursday night. Mayor Randy Strasser said the council will have to approve the agreement between the Delphi Preservation Society and the city to fund the project. He said the investment now will save money in the long run.

"To not only bring stability and jobs into the downtown area but it increases our assessed value in the community too and when we increase that assessed value, that gets our tax rates down too," said Strasser.

Strasser said over the past four years, he, the City Council and the Clerk/Treasurer have been working hard to make sure the city is financially stable. Because of that, he said the dollars are available for this big investment.

Werling and Strasser said the Opera House is slated to open early in 2015. They said planning for other Stellar projects like revitalizing downtown building facades and revamping sewer systems are also well underway.