Theater officials, who said fundraising has been stymied by the coronavirus pandemic, sought release of city money to match grants. AUGUSTA — City officials have agreed to make up to $300,000 in city money available sooner than planned to provide the Colonial Theater matching funds needed to secure grants. Theater advocates said it has been a struggle to raise funds during the coronavirus pandemic, so they’ve turned to grant funding as a way to keep the project moving forward. Many of those grants require the funds to be matched with local money, which is why theater officials asked the city to release $40,000 from a $300,000 fund set aside in 2016…

The project returns the front of the theater to its 1926 appearance and addressed structural concerns. The Colonial’s Theater’s facade restoration included reconstructing the formerly leaning parapet, masonry repair and repointing, new flashing, and exterior painting. The exterior painting required paint sampling and analysis by Sutherland Conservation & Consulting of Augusta to accurately recreate the six-color tapestry paint scheme. Hascall & Hall, a Portland-based company with experience in historic renovations did the reconstruction work. Support for this project included: Grants: Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Certified Local Government Grant, $24,995 Completed in cooperation with the City of Augusta, the grant administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior Morton-Kelly Charitable…

AUGUSTA — The Colonial Theater Board of Directors is pleased to welcome Kathi Wall as the theater’s interim executive director. Wall will lead the theater’s ongoing restoration efforts and fundraising, filling a vacancy left by outgoing director Peter Bezemes. Wall is a longtime advocate and supporter for the arts and community youth programs in central Maine, and served as the President of the Augusta Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors after being the executive director for 12 years. Originally from New York, Wall began her career in nursing in 1965, quickly ascending to leadership roles in oncology and transplant units in Buffalo, Boston, and Cooperstown. In 1978, Wall and…