From the Desk of the Director of the Ashtabula Arts Center

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2928 West 13th St. Ashtabula, Ohio 44004 phone: 440-964-3396 Search This Site: July/August: Posted: Thursday, June 26, 2008 We all hope you are enjoying a fun-filled and wonderful summer. Straw Hat Theatre is in full swing; our summer camps are going very well; summer classes and workshops are hopping and we're busy, busy as we always are during the summer months. With all the usage the Arts Center facilities experience, and given the age of our original building (built in 1973), you can imagine how challenging it is some times to keep up a good face. Just in the past year, we have replaced our front doors hardware, our drinking fountain, the sink traps in both art rooms, all three doors into the inside theatre, two of our urinals, and part of our main building's roof. Those were the replacements; several other items needed to be repaired. The cost for all these necessitities was around $35,000.00. You know the Arts Center is always trying to raise the necessary dollars to keep our programs going and growing - so where do we get the money to maintain our facilities? In each and every building new construction and/or addition here at the Arts Center, the Civic Development Corporation of Ashtabula County (CDC) has been the sole funder of the project or a very significant partner. As part of the Arts Centers contract with CDC we are required to set aside monies to maintain our facilities. This fund is called Asset Preservation. The AAC builds into its monthly budget an amount that totals about $30,000.00 per year for Asset Preservation so that money is available when we need it for these necessary repairs and replacements. Some years we spend less than the amount set aside and this helps build this fund. Other years, like last year, we spend over the amount set aside. Fortunately last year, we had a small surplus left over from the previous year to make up the difference of the expenses that needed to be covered. This Asset Preservation Fund requirement was a very difficult one to fulfill when first initiated and required by CDC, but we can honestly attest to the fact that the Arts Center's facilities would not be in the good condition they are in today if we had not committed to successfully meeting this requirement. The Arts Center is grateful to the Civic Development Corporation for the many grants they have given us over the years to enable us to keep growing. We also thank them for having the wisdom and foresight to require us to set up our Asset Preservation Fund that has helped us maintain our facilities over the years. Thank you!