Lex Leonard

From: Michelle Chippas

Sent: Friday, January 14, 2011 9:56 AM
To: Adrienne Joly; Amy Rice; Becky Blatt; Brianna Dance; Carrie Levicki; Chris Bruner; Dave
Wartel; Heather N. Ruder; Jessica DeLong; Kathy Fox; Keith Wiley; Leigh Lotocki; Lex
Leonard; Michelle Chippas; Myra La Cava; Tony Capaci
Subject: OCFC December Monthly Report

 
 
MONTHLY REPORT TO THE COMMISSION 
December 2010 
Prepared by: Kathleen M. Fox, FASLA, Executive Director, 
and the Commission Staff 
 
 
COMMISSION NEWS  

The Commission reimbursed 16 local project sponsors more than $1.6 million on paid invoices during the month of 
December.  The total amount reimbursed includes: 
 
$164,932.94 Allen County Historical Society
$168,607.60 Cincinnati Museum Center
$20,145.02 Clifton Cultural Arts Center
$236,149.46 COSI Columbus
$22,453.30 Lorain Palace Theatre
$204,805.32 Loudonville Opera House and Village Hall
$21,760.00 Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
$55,899.84 Markay Theatre
$4,377.98 Massillon Museum
$233,957.09 Ohio Historical Society
$59,547.88 Packard Music Hall
$48,128.42 RiverSouth Development
$73,851.32 Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
$18,058.25 Symmes Township Historical Society
$208,822.33 Western Reserve Historical Society
$125,000.00 Westerville Firefighters' Memorial & First Responders' Park

The February 8 Commission meeting draft agenda will be reviewed with Chairman Budig in mid‐January. In addition to 
a half‐dozen cultural project approvals, up to fourteen management agreement renewals are being evaluated by the 
Commission staff. Briefing books will go out the third week of January. The Commission meeting will be held at the 
Chase Tower 6th Floor Conference Center, 100 East Broad Street, Columbus, at 10:00 AM. 
 
Looking ahead, projects to be considered for the May 2011 Commission meeting must have their materials submitted 
no later than January 20, 2011.   

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PROJECT NEWS 
 
The Allen County Historical Society held a
dedication and grand opening for the Phase Two
expansion of the Allen County Museum on
November 14. The Phase Two expansion of the
museum is the second leg of the Historical Society’s
“Campaign to Move Our Past Forward” that began
last fall. Central to the new space is the Shay
Locomotive and Railroad Gallery, which was funded
in part by a Transportation Enhancement Program
grant administered through ODOT. The Shay steam-
powered locomotives were manufactured exclusively
by Lima locomotive Works in 1925. In addition to the
Shay Gallery, the new 13,000 square foot addition
  features exhibits on transportation, local business
 
The Allen County Historical Society held a grand opening for the Phase Two 
and industry, as well as military themes. Phase One
expansion of their Allen County Museum on November 14, 2010.  opened in 2007.

The Loudonville Village Council met in special session to approve a loan agreement to borrow up to $600,000 for the 
Loudonville Opera House restoration project. The funds will enable the village to pay bills on the project, which is 
underway, and then repay the loan with funds from a state grant already approved by the Commission. The theater 
restoration project involves exterior repairs to the 1909 structure, including updates to the roof and window, improving 
electrical service to the entry point and mortar retucking and pointing. The project received a capital appropriation of 
$600,000 in Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General Assembly, and 
was approved by the Commission in November 2009.   

 
Residents in Heath are questioning expenses of the Davis‐Shai 
House. The facility recently re‐opened after completion of a $1.5 
million expansion, paid for in part by a state grant.  Some residents 
feel the hotel bed tax earmarked for the facility should go to a 
general fund. The Heath Community Arts Council, a nonprofit 
organization, has a lease with the city to operate the city‐owned 
Davis‐Shai House until 2033. The facility is managed under the city's 
parks and recreation department. 
 
Heath Mayor Mark Johns said city leaders cannot simply eliminate  Image courtesy of The Newark Advocate 
Davis‐Shai House, Licking County 
 
all funding for 
the Davis‐Shai 
House, because that would force repayment of about $1 million in 
state grant money.  The project has received two state 
appropriations totaling more than $1 million for expansions and 
improvements, and was approved by the Commission in May 2009.
 
Linda Abraham-Silver, president and chief executive officer of
the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland is taking a
temporary leave of absence in 2011 to direct the planning and
development of a new science museum in the United Arab
  Emirates. The move was announced December 16th at a science
Image courtesy of The Cleveland Plain Dealer 
  center board meeting. Abraham-Silver said she was approached by
Linda Abraham‐Silver, president and CEO of the Great Lakes  the as-yet-unnamed museum. The job appealed to her because she
Science Center is headed to the Persian Gulf to direct planning  is interested in developing science education for girls in the Arab
and development of a new science museum.  world. In some Arab countries, girls have traditionally received less
schooling than boys. Abraham-Silver starts her interim position

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Monday, January 10th. Board member James Ireland III will serve as acting president and CEO in Abraham-Silver’s
absence. Abraham-Silver plans to return to Cleveland in May 2012. In the meantime, she plans to contact the museum
staff weekly through video conferencing, and to return every few months for visits. The center has received three state
appropriations totaling $1 million, approved by the Commission in November 2008, which were used to construct an all-
weather pedestrian walkway, connecting the steamship museum and the science center to help increase attendance to
both institutions.

Work was done at Zoar Village during Christmas. Work included repairing or building damaged chimneys, gutters and 
downspouts at the Number One House. In addition, a new heating and air condition unit being installed. The Sewing 
House west of the garden residence is getting a new heating/air condition system installed and will be used to benefit 
activities for the Zoar Community Association, which operates the village. Three state appropriations totaling $1.3 
million have helped in the acquisition and ongoing rehabilitation of the Zoar Hotel, the planning of exhibits, and the 
renovation of several buildings. An additional $90,000 was appropriated in Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General 
Assembly for roof replacement on the Number One House. The project has requested to appear on the Commission’s 
February meeting agenda to repurpose funds for further capital repairs at Zoar Village to be transferred from a capital 
line item for the Ohio Historical Center rehabilitation. 
   
Rock Mill held its first Christmas open house amid restoration on Sunday, December 12. The event was free to the
public. Organizers hope to make it an annual tradition. The six-story gristmill, perched atop a sandstone cliff on Hocking
River, is thought to be the oldest and largest surviving mill in the state. The
Fairfield County Historical Parks Commission has been working for several  

years to raise enough money to complete the restoration. About half of the  
$700,000 it will take to fully restore the mill has been raised and spent so far. A
state capital appropriation of $150,000, in Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th
General Assembly, was used to restore the north wall of the mill and install
new wood siding and windows. The project received Commission approval in
July 2009.

Vinton County Development Director updated the County Commission on   
progress of the Vinton County Stages Project. Ken Reed recommended to the  Image courtesy of The Columbus Dispatch 
Rock Mill, Fairfield County 
fair board that a stage committee be named to make decisions about what 
kind of stage they want, what kind of seating they want, and desired view 
angles. Options include bleachers, football type stands, stadium seating or another type of seating. The goal of the 
County Commissioners is to have the project completed by the Vinton County Junior Fair Week in July 2011. Reed says it 
will be another tourist attraction in the county as Hocking Hills tourism is growing in the area. The project received a 
state appropriation of $100,000 in Am. Sub. H.B. 699 of the 126th General Assembly. The project sponsor anticipates 
submitting information for inclusion on the Commission’s May meeting agenda. 
 
On December 1, Hamilton County Commissioners voted on a two year solution to the deficit in the fund that pays for 
the county’s two professional sports stadiums, Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ballpark. The additional 
property tax passed means homeowners will pay an average of $86 more per year, based on a $200,000 house. As part 
of the solution, the Reds and Bengals will pay a combined $9.6 million in rent from 2011 to 2015. The original lease 
agreement did not require the teams to pay any rent. Together, the two Cincinnati stadiums received over $73.3 million 
in state appropriations through the Commission to help construct the facilities, which cost approximately $1 billion. 
 
The National Aviation Hall of Fame has launched a search for a new executive director. The organization hopes to fill 
the position by April 1, 2011. The new director will be responsible for rebuilding the NAHF’s fundraising and strengthen 
its ability to preserve and promote aviation heritage. Ron Kaplan, who had served as the nonprofit’s executive director 
for four years, was let go in November 2009 due to a decline in membership and commercial sponsors, as reported in 
the Dayton Daily News. The project has had three state appropriations totaling $3.1 million. Approximately $175,000 
remains from the appropriations and will be used for additional exhibits. Expenditure of the remaining funds received 
Commission approval in November 2009. 
 
The board of trustees of The Ohio Outdoor Historical Drama Association, the parent organization of Schoenbrunn 
Amphitheatre (“Trumpet in the Land”) in New Philadelphia, is conducting a membership drive to gather interested 
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persons to support “Trumpet in the Land” and all of its other cultural programs. Over the past 41 years, “Trumpet in the 
Land” has become an institution with visitors from all 50 states and foreign countries witnessing the story of Moravian 
missionary David Zeisberger and the first Christian settlement in the Ohio land. A $100,000 state appropriation was 
approved by the Commission in November 2007, and assisted with stage and sound‐booth renovation, a new pavilion 
roof and enclosure system, and rebuilding of a horse shelter and related fencing. Additional funds of $150,000 were 
appropriated for the amphitheater by the 127th General Assembly in Am. Sub. H.B. 562 will be used to enclose a pole 
barn used as a dressing room and to pave a driveway. The staff is recommending the project for inclusion on the 
Commission’s February 2011 agenda. 
 
  A ground breaking ceremony for the new Washington Park 
took place on Friday, December 17. The Cincinnati Park 
Board and non‐profit developer Cincinnati Center City 
Development Authority have teamed together to overhaul 
the park, located in the city’s historic Over‐The‐Rhine 
neighborhood. Redesign plans call for a state‐of‐the‐art 
interactive water feature, a children’s play area, performance 
stages and a civic lawn. The project is expected to be 
completed by spring 2012. Three state appropriations totaling 
$2.85 million will fund the portion of the Washington Park 
renovation project that includes a permanent stage, civic 
green and Music Hall plaza construction. The Commission 
 
Image courtesy of The Cincinnati Enquirer  entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the 
Construction begins at Washington Park  project sponsor in October 2010. 
 
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center received the 2010 “Citizen Diplomat” award from the World
Affairs Council in recognition of its partnership with the Greater Cincinnati World Affairs Council. Through the partnership,
many visitors to the Freedom Center were lawyers, journalists, jurists and other professionals from nations around the
world as part of the U.S. State Department’s International Visitors Leadership program. The state has appropriated funds
totaling $15.5 million for the construction of the facility. The project has been reimbursed more than $14.6 million, and the
most recent appropriation of $850,000 has not yet been approved for release. The Freedom Center and the Commission
entered into a Memorandum of Understanding in 2009 regarding these funds. The staff is proposing the final approval for
inclusion on the Commission’s February 2011 agenda.

 
ITEMS OF INTEREST 
 
Senator Tim Schaffer has requested that the Commission conduct a pre‐assessment of Somerset’s proposed Economic 
Revitalization and Heritage Tourism project.  The project includes the restoration of the Jacob Miller Tavern built in 1807 
as well as to make improvements to the courthouse built in 1829.  The pre‐assessment questionnaire was sent to the 
mayor of Somerset, Tom Johnson, in December. 
 
The Commission offices will be closed on Monday, January 17 in observance of Martin Luther King Day. 
 
 
STAFF NEWS 
 
Jessica DeLong joined the Commission staff as Project Coordinator on December 6. Delong comes to the Commission 
after serving the last year at the Commission on an interim basis, during which she assisted project managers with the 
coordination of legal documents, research, correspondence with project sponsors and other office tasks. Jessica is a 
graduate of The Ohio State University and is also a certified professional dog trainer. 
 
Chris Bruner joined the Commission staff as Financial Analyst on January 3. Bruner has been with the Commission on 
an interim basis since August 2010 assisting the chief analyst in reviewing financial documents submitted by project 

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sponsors including project cash flow plans, loan documents and pro forma projections. He has a strong financial 
background, having worked at Bank One for five years. Chris is a graduate of Miami University with a degree in finance. 
 
 
FUTURE COMMISSION MEETINGS 
 
Tuesday, February 8, 2011 (Chase Tower 6th Floor Conference Center, 100 E. Broad St., Columbus; 10:00 AM) 
Wednesday, May 18, 2011 (starting time and location TBA) 
Thursday, August 18, 2011 (starting time and location TBA) 
Wednesday, December 7, 2011 (starting time and location TBA) 
 
 
cc:           Emily Gephart, Legislative Services Commission 
Rachel Gerrick, Office of the Attorney General 
Tracy Nájera, Office of Budget and Management 
 
 
Michelle Chippas 
Communications Manager 
Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission 
100 E. Broad Street, Suite 300 
Columbus, Ohio  43215 
 
Telephone:  614‐995‐7552  
Fax: 614‐752‐2775 
E‐mail: mchippas@culture.ohio.gov 
Website: http://www.culture.ohio.gov 

Building Culture in Ohio's Communities: The Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission oversees capital improvement funds appropriated by the Ohio
General Assembly and Governor for community cultural facility projects including non-profit theaters, museums, historical sites and publicly owned
professional sports venues. You are invited to visit www.culture.ohio.gov or call (614) 752-2770 for more information on the Commission or to learn how
we can assist your cultural facility project.