By BARBARA BARBIERI
The 50th anniversary of the Creative Arts Council of Wells County was celebrated Saturday evening with a dinner held at the Wells County Commerce & Visitors Center. Plans for a building project that would include a theater near Bluffton High School were discussed.
CAC’s Executive Director Janiece Lipsey welcomed those attending and offered a brief history of the council’s programs and sites over the years, beginning in 1974 when the activities were offered from the former Dr. Mead home in the 200 block of West Washington St. (now a parking lot), directly across from the current Wells County Public Library.
As the council and the activities have moved sites, all of the moves were prompted by the need for more space. And so the council is on the look out to move again as the current space at the Life Community Church, 428 South Oak St. in Bluffton, has reached the limit.
To this end, the council members have been in conversations with the Bluffton-Harrison MSD school board and Superintendent Brad Yates to build a theater and create an arts magnet school beside the current high school.
Discussions have been going on for several years and Architect Doug Routh of Elevatus Architecture was hired to create a visual rendering of what that building might look like.
Those attending the event were invited to ask questions about the project and inspect the poster boards displaying a possible theater, surrounded by classrooms, gallery space and a black box.
Sponsors of the evening included Elevatus Architecture, Emshwiller & Emshwiller, FCI Construction, Eric and Pam Blessing, A Perfect Blend and Welches All Vehicle Repair.
barb@news-banner.com
