Senate okays $250,000 for restoration of the Heritage

Cunneen and Sher urge Campbellites to let Gov. Davis know they want their theater

By Genevieve Roja

Senator Byron Sher isn't the type of man to waste time. So when one of his aides staged an impromptu meeting with Campbell Mayor Dan Furtado and City Manager Bernie Strojny at the Heritage Theater last Friday, June 18, Sher didn't hesitate. The Heritage has become one of his pet projects after all, and he was simply scoping the premises so he could better present the project to the Senate this week.

"It was sort of spur of the moment," said Sher, who called from his cellular phone after the theater meeting, en route to another engagement. "When I go back to Sacramento, it will give me greater energy to make sure the Governor leaves it the budget."

The legislature's approval of the state's $81.7 billion budget last week gave new hope that the Heritage will reopen soon--because the budget provides $250,000 toward the theater's renovation. Sher and local supporters hope that Davis keeps his red pen in his pocket, and does not "line-item veto" the project in a cost-saving move. The key to persuading the governor of the theater's importance, Sher says, is active community involvement.

"It's important to generate support and write letters to the governor," said Sher following the Senate decision last Tuesday. "It's a good project and it's good for the community.

"It's a terrific building--wonderful architecture," said Sher about the Theatre, which staged its last production in 1982. "The space inside is just incredible. To take it and transform it into an 850-seat theater really fills a need."

Sher, whose three children grew up with season passes to the American Conservatory Theater, has always been an a theater aficionado, citing Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller among his favorite playwrights. Theater, he believes, can bring families closer together. Sher's daughter Adrienne appeared on the stage in the Palo Alto area and pursued an acting career in New York.

Sher first heard of the Heritage Theater through his district coordinator, Mike Potter, who asked Furtado what Campbell needed from the state. Sher, chair of the Senate Parks and Recreation committee, liked the theater restoration project immediately. So he inserted the project in the Parks and Rec budget.

Meanwhile, Assemblyman Jim Cunneen was also working to get some state money for the theater project. His office drafted its own $250,000 grant proposal in early March. Sher's Senate version ended up in the budget.

To date, the non-profit group Friends of the Heritage Theatre--which is spearheaded by councilmember Jeanette Watson--has raised an estimated $14,000. Local restaurant Mama Mia's has given $1,000, the Country Woman's Club has contributed $3,000 through the sale or a celebrity recipe cookbook, and a sum of $10,000 is anticipated from an anonymous Campbell High School alum. The city has already pledged a dollar-for-dollar challenge grant.

To get an idea of how much was needed to fund the theater, the city hired a consultant, Venuetech Management Group--which managed Candlestick Park's post-quake renovation and also restored the Napa Valley Opera House--to conduct a cost estimate. Their result: a $4 million price tag, is backed by a re-analysis of construction
costs by Campbell's South Bay Construction.

Funds will be used for replacing wooden seats, installing a new electrical system and plumbing, climate control, heating, handling an asbestos problem, and making the theater accessible to disabled patrons. If all goes well and the Governor does not veto the theater's funds, $250,000 will head to Campbell.

"It will happen very fast," Sher said. "A check can be cut after July 1, 1999, after the budget is in place."

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