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Kirby Center gets needed lift

Kanjorski delivers $150K to help with repairs, but building executive says operating revenues down 30 percent.

BILL O ’ BOYLE boboyle@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE – A leaky roof could be the least of the problems at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts.

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U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, points to a section of the ceiling of the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts that was damaged by a leaking roof. The congressman announced funding that will finish repairing the roof and other updates on the historic building during a press conference Tuesday morning in the Kirby on Public Square. At left is John Nackley, president of the Kirby Center board of directors.

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U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski Tuesday announced $150,000 in federal funding for the cultural venue to replace and repair the roof of the building – a project that is nearly 90 percent complete.

Marilyn Santarelli, executive director of the Kirby Center, thanked Kanjorski for the funds that are important because revenues are down at the facility – 30 percent across the board.

“Our ticket sales are down and our philanthropy is down,” Santarelli said. “Our for-profit promoters are shrinking.”

Santarelli said she and her staff and the center’s board of directors have taken a pro-active approach to the situation.

“We are diligent in finding ways to find partners to share the risk with agents and talent,” she said. “We’re all in this together. Honestly, I don’t know how long it will take. It’s never been like this before.”

Asked how long the Kirby can sustain the decline in revenues, Santarelli said, “As long as we have to.”

The executive director said she and the board have taken measures to reduce overhead. She said she has cut operating expenses by reducing the heating bills, decreasing staff costs and altering programming.

“We have to stay on mission,” Santarelli said. “We are an arts and education center and we have to offer diverse cultural programming. But it’s mainstream programming that people support most.”

Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, made the funding announcement at a podium in the mezzanine area of the center, beneath a large area where plaster had fallen from the ceiling – evidence of the water leak.

The Kirby Center’s roof was in disrepair, causing leaks which damaged the inside of the building. Now, 90 percent of the renovation project is complete.

The funding was secured as a result of Kanjorski’s efforts in the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Act.

“I am pleased that the Kirby Center has used this federal funding so quickly and effectively,” Kanjorski said. “The center has diligently worked to maintain the structure of the building and complete needed renovations on the building’s roof, which will help maintain its historical value.”

“Because of this funding, I am proud to say that we have almost completed major roof replacements and repairs that will keep the Kirby Center running for years to come, and we expect to finish very soon,” said John Nackley, chairman of the Kirby board of directors.

“I encourage all residents and visitors to stop by the Kirby Center for some of the many performances that we put on each year, as we hope that more and more families continue to take advantage of the center,” he said.

Santarelli said replacing key sections of the roof will provide increased insulation that will help reduce the heating and cooling costs of the building, create a more durable structure, and reduce interior repairs to the building caused by leaks.

Recoating other sections will help by ensuring that they will not need major repairs for another 15 years, Santarelli said. The auditorium barrel roof was last replaced in 1992 and the entire center’s other roof areas were replaced during major renovations in 1986.

Constructed in 1938, the Kirby Center was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It was the flagship theater of the M. E. Comerford 45-theater chain. All renovations comply with Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission guidelines.

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