NEW WILMINGTON, PA. Westminster gets $1.7M for cultural arts center

The college hopes to complete the project by September.
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- On his farewell tour across Pennsylvania, Gov. Mark Schweiker dropped off a $1.7 million check at Westminster College.
The money, from the capital budget redevelopment assistance fund, will help pay for a new cultural arts center at the college. Westminster raised a matching amount through private donations for the $3.4 million project.
The state funding will allow Westminster to renovate the 1,700-seat Orr auditorium to expand cultural and civic programming for area citizens, workshops for area educators, and summer camps for youths. Westminster has also developed a multipurpose room seating 300 in the adjacent Campus Center to accommodate public lectures, dinners, lifelong learning programs and teacher workshops.
The Campus Center also includes food service facilities to support the programs and public use of the Cultural Arts Center.
Westminster hopes to complete the renovations and open the Campus Center by September 2003.
Quotable
"This project will improve what is already a major public venue for the performing arts in this area," Schweiker said. "This is more than just a renovation. It is about a community gathering place -- a regional cultural center important to improving the quality of life for this community and this region."
"This project is important because it will bring more people to the area," Schweiker added. "Any time you bring visitors into your area, you create jobs. Jobs mean paychecks for Pennsylvania workers, and paychecks mean stronger and more attractive communities."
Westminster College President R. Thomas Williamson said he believes the center is a smart investment for the future.
"The Cultural Arts Center would enable Westminster to expand its successful cultural programs during the summer months, while creating another destination site for regional tourism. The program would benefit the region both culturally and economically," he said.
The 1,700-seat Orr Auditorium was built in 1966 and is named for Will W. Orr, Westminster's ninth president. The auditorium is part of Patterson Hall, which also houses the 300-seat Beeghly Theater and Westminster's Art Gallery.