From staff reports
A total of $500,000 in state funding from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program has been awarded to Oil City to continue ongoing revitalization efforts.
State Rep. R. Lee James announced Friday that the Venango County Economic Development Authority and the Colonel Drake Alliance Inc. both received $250,000.
The county’s Economic Development Authority is currently in phase three of its 100 Seneca project at the old Mellon Bank building in downtown Oil City.
The Lyric Theatre project, led by the Colonel Drake Alliance, will repair the theatre’s interior and exterior; upgrade the auditorium to include stage and dressing rooms, a spacious lobby, expanded gallery and exhibition space and ADA-compliant restrooms; and install a new sprinkler system, emergency ramp and exit, fire alarm, emergency lighting, security system and filtered HVAC.
Funding for the project was authorized by lawmakers in the Capital Budget Project Itemization Act.
