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9/29/2011  I'M BACK!  Having web problems but still working on it!  Hope to be back 100% soon!

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For release August 15, 2011

Grants, Donations Help Move Rialto Project Nearer Completion                

         Several foundation grants in recent weeks, combined with continuing donations and memorials, have helped to move the restoration of the fire-damaged Rialto Theatre in Deer Lodge closer to completion.  The largest, a $50,000 grant from the Town Pump Charitable Foundation in Butte, will provide the $42,548 match for the Community Transportation Enhancement (CTEP) grant through the City of Deer Lodge that is covering the work on the Rialto façade.  This includes cleaning and repairing the brick, terra cotta, and granite surfaces, replacing the oval and office windows and the front doors, and repairing the marquee and other features on the front of the building.  The balance of the Town Pump grant will help with tile in the entry area and work on the ticket booth. Work on the façade is underway.  “This is a critical point for the project, and we are very grateful to the Town Pump Foundation for stepping up to help so generously” Rialto President Steve Owens said.

        The Gallagher Western Montana Foundation in Missoula, which had donated $35,000 in previous years, gave another $10,000 for the effort, and the Jane S. Heman Foundation, also in Missoula, gave a second $10,000 contribution.  Goody Two Shoes, a small Florida foundation that gave $5,000 early in the rebuilding, provided another $2,500 for this final push, and the Jerry Metcalf Foundation in Helena provided $4,500 toward the elevator to the balcony and second level that will make the entire facility accessible.  Many new donors and hundreds of individuals and businesses that had donated earlier have also contributed again now that the end is in sight.

         The fire at the Rialto started November 4, 2006, and the board and volunteers have been working since then to raise the funds to rebuild.  The cost of reconstruction is estimated at $3.44 million, trimmed from the original $4.5 million, and volunteers have raised over $3.1

million so far.  Less than $300,000 is needed to be complete enough to reopen, hopefully by the end of this year.  Remaining work includes wiring and light fixtures, tile and floor coverings, plumbing and fixtures, some HVAC, more painting, and safety items.   The costs are driven by the size of the building and the strict building codes.   

       More information about the project is available at www.deerlodgerialto.com, and donations to help complete it can be sent to P.O. Box 874, Deer Lodge, MT 59722.

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For release May 1, 2011

ANONYMOUS GRANT AWARDED TO RIALTO

       We are very pleased to announce that we have received a grant in the amount of $100,000 from a Montana foundation requesting anonymity!   This grant comes at a time when we are struggling to get those last monies to finish this project and it is very much appreciated, says Steve Owens, President of Rialto Community Theater.

        Mr. Owens also has also listed some of the projects recently completed at the theater.   The floor tile is done in the projection booth, concession area, and the electrical room and cleaning room upstairs.  Mark Kniep got it waxed after Sandra Salisbury cleaned off the shipping wax, and Mark Hansen was down one day last week to start working on the projectors.  Ron Johnson has removed the frames for the old oval windows and Martel is starting to work on the CTEP stuff.  We are finished with the stimulus work, and were able to get all the trim installed, the metal doors hung that we could, all the interior doors, and the masonry work done, as well as painting much of the trim.

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For release March 27, 2011

Bid Awarded for Rialto Façade Restoration

            The front of the fire-damaged Rialto Theatre in Deer Lodge will have a fresh new look in the next few months as work will begin soon on restoring the façade of the historic structure.  Martel Construction of Bozeman has been selected after submitting the lowest bid of $153,435, and the Montana Department of Transportation has authorized a construction agreement.

       The façade work is part of the overall restoration of the Rialto Community Theatre, but had to go through a separate bid process because the work is partially funded by at $110,887 CTEP grant through the state and the City of Deer Lodge.  The Rialto board will provide $42,548 in matching funds from donations, memorials, and other grants.  The Rialto is eligible for the CTEP (Community Transportation Enhancement Program) funding because of its location on Main Street, the alternate route for I-90 through the city.  CTEP monies are federal funds allocated annually on a formula basis to cities and counties for projects such as parks, walk and bike paths, and preservation projects.

         The façade project includes replacing the front doors and surrounding trim, replacing the five historic oval windows and the three sets of double-hung windows in the office,  repairs to the neon and wiring on the marquee to make it functional again, cleaning the masonry and repairing the terra cotta and stone surfaces, and repointing the masonry mortar joints.  Martel has been the general contractor for the main restoration project, assisted by dozens of area subcontractors.  The other bidders on the façade work were Diamond Construction of Helena and Sullway Construction of Butte.

“We have wanted to fix the front for several years, but it took a while to work through the process, “  Rialto President Steve Owens said.  “This is the only part of the Restoration that CTEP funds could be used for, so we waited on this while working on the rest of the building.” The Rialto Restoration began after the fire in November 2006 and is over 80% complete.  Volunteers have raised over $2.9 million, and less than $500,000 is needed to complete the effort. 

               Remaining work includes wiring, electrical and plumbing fixtures, floor coverings, and many smaller items.  An airlock on the rear of the building is almost completed so that a large air handling unit can be placed there.  Many of the large costs are driven by the strict building codes for theaters.  More information and photos can be found at www.deerlodgerialto.com, and donations to help match the grant or finish the project can be sent to P.O. Box 874 in Deer Lodge.

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OUR KIDS ARE AT IT AGAIN!!

Greetings all,
 Last year the local girl scouts donated  a portion of their girl scout cookie sales to the Rialto,  enough to buy a seat.  This year their goal is to raise $1,000 for the Rialto.    There is an order sheet at R and C and one at Dr. Rubink's dental office if you want to get in on this, or you can call Amy Purcell at 490-2066 or the dental office at 846-1216.

They will probably be selling them for a period in March at a downtown location but I don't have those details yet, and why take a chance.
 Looks like a win-win thing to us.  Thanks girls!!

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Another wonderful article about our Rialto appeared in The Missoulian on February 12, 2011 and can be seen here:

http://missoulian.com/lifestyles/hometowns/article_e6038722-37fd-11e0-a7c8-001cc4c002e0.html

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The following article appeared in The Montana Standard in November, 2010:  

http://www.mtstandard.com/news/local/article_846a68b8-f06e-11df-92c5-001cc4c03286.html

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RIALTO SEATS

ARE NOW FOR SALE!

$300 EACH 

YOUR NAME OR YOUR FAMILY’S NAME WILL BE DISPLAYED IN A PROMINENT PLACE IN THE NEW RIALTO

THIS IS A GREAT GIFT IDEA

Contact any board member for more information. 

 Checks can be sent to: P.O. Box 874, Deer Lodge, MT 59722

DONATIONS ALSO ACCEPTED THROUGH PAYPAL BY CLICKING ON THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE,

OR BY CLICKING HERE FOR THE DONATION FORM.