Rix on the roof
We are kind of looking forward to the recreation department running it and I am hoping that we can put together a Friends of AUD group that will help run it, help supervise it, come up with ideas of what we can do there and help the AUD survive I think there is a great need in the community for it,” Rix said. It is a great place to hold events for both youth and for adults. “We want to bring back some of the things that we had in the past. City interest in the AUD has to do with bringing it back as an activity center for the community, making the iconic building available for many types of uses in a close-to-home atmosphere, according to Rix. Rix also said that the funding for these renovations is planned to come from Tax Increment Finance Authority, or TIFA, dollars. Right now we are looking at $170,000 to replace the roof and repoint all the brick,” Rix said. “We have just got ballpark prices from some of our contractors we have used in the past. Rix anticipated repairs could be done gradually over time, but to begin restoration, the city will need to have the roof of the AUD replaced and brick repointed. Rix said during the ‘60s and ‘70s, the city leased the building for $1 a year, but in this case the building overall will need about $300,000 worth of repair, exceeding the building’s current value. The restriction listed in the agreement indicates that whenever the city sells any portion of the properties or all of the properties within 10 years from the date of the closing, then the city will pay the district half of the net proceeds of the property sale. The purchase price listed in the agreement is $1, payable on closing date and subject to restrictions. The facility had become a financial concern for the school district due to interior and structural problems. The building has served multiple purposes over time, including school administration offices, a practice venue for high school wrestling and a youth theater. The AUD was constructed under President Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration in the 1930s to provide jobs during the Great Depression. “Renovation is necessary in certain parts of the building to restore it to grandeur, so to speak, to make it a very proud building to have in the community,” Rix said. He also said some discussion has taken place regarding the future of the AUD, indicating the city is interested in restoring it. 29 the city council needed to vote on the agreement, and anticipated it would come before them on Oct. It also lists that the Roosevelt Civic Auditorium is 0.871 acres of land located west of Main Street, south of Division Road, at 68931 Main St.Ĭity of Richmond Mayor Tim Rix said on Sept. The purchase agreement states the bus garage property is 0.531 acres of land located south of Division Road, west of Main Street, at 35620 Division Road. The district accepted a proposal submitted June 3 by the city. Walmsley and district lawyer John Bartley negotiated the sale of Roosevelt Civic Auditorium and the adjacent bus garage to the city of Richmond within parameters provided by the board. “Whereas the superintendent has submitted to the board of education a purchase agreement negotiated between the superintendent and the City of Richmond with terms for sale of the surplus property, now therefore it is resolved, the board, after review of the purchase agreement terms, does hereby authorize the superintendent to execute the purchase agreement on behalf of the district and to undertake efforts to close on the sale of the surplus property pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement,” Sutton said. The resolution also authorized Walmsley to undertake efforts to close on the sale of the surplus property pursuant to terms of the purchase agreement, and to execute a deed, as well as all related documents required by the district as the seller at closing. Treasurer Danielle Sutton made the motion for the resolution, which authorized the superintendent to execute a purchase agreement on behalf of the district. The Roosevelt Civic Auditorium, also known as the AUD, is a 13,000-square-foot, two-story building. The resolution also states the board previously authorized Superintendent Brian Walmsley to undertake efforts to market the surplus property for sale. 27, the school board approved a resolution to authorize the sale of roughly 1.4 acres of surplus property that includes the Roosevelt Civic Auditorium and an adjacent bus garage. The AUD took an important step toward becoming city of Richmond property after the Richmond Community Schools Board of Education’s recent approval of an agreement between the district and the city.