Easter brings a celebration of new life. And The REES Theatre is moving ever closer to having a new life of its own.
On Tuesday the Plymouth Redevelopment Commission approved adding The REES to its project list. In the days following the devastating flood of 2018 where the theatre itself sustained flooding of the entire boiler room, the REES Project Committee submitted a request for a timeline extension to the Regional Development Authority Board that oversees all Regional Cities projects in the three county area of St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall. On Thursday, that request for an extension was granted with a new reporting date of June 30th.
At risk is a matching grant of $300,000 from the Regional Cities Initiative. The overall project goal is $3.46MM which includes an estimated cost of $2.86MM in construction costs and the remainder to be placed in an already established endowment. Pledges may be paid over a 4 year period beginning in 2018. They may be made in person, by mail, or on line at the Marshall County Community Foundation’s website: www.marshallcountycf.orgwhere all monies will be held. In addition to traditional donations of cash and/or checks, donations to The REES Project may be made in the form of in-kind gifts such as materials or services, transfer of stock, and deferred income from individual retirement funds.
Project co-chairpersons, Randy Danielson and Donna Pontius are leading these efforts alongside a fundraising team which is making ongoing progress through personal contacts and presentations. Reaching this goal will take community involvement from individuals, organizations, churches, schools, businesses and corporations. Danielson stated, “With all of the placemaking projects that are occurring in and around Plymouth, there is no better time than now to bring this historic landmark back and further improve our quality of life right here at home. This is an investment in our lives and that of future generations.”
or detailed information about the REES project, the vision in place for its future and a link to donate, please visit: www.reesproject.com
