Now that the Greenfield parking garage is near completion, it is time to have a conversation about the First National Bank building.
The construction of the parking garage is partly due to my behind-the-scenes work to construct a parking garage there myself. Have the plans to prove it. The mayor, then a private citizen, attended almost all of the meetings we had with parking garage consultants. He was very interested in the project. The project was always a two-phase project. Once the garage was built, the bank would then once again become a useful building.
From the onset, I have proposed to the mayor turning the building into a black box theater. And now, Hawks & Reed, a huge success and a great addition to our community, is performing theater at their present location.
The mayor has told me that he has $3.5 m¡ll¡on in community development funding for the project. The grant is just about enough to bu¡ld it. Let’s do it. I think this would be a cultural asset to our community, while opening another venue for Hawks & Reed to continue its creative development. So, if you see the mayor, tell him you think that the bank is a great place for a black box theater. Feel free to contact me with advice or to form a committee to get this done.
Mike Belleau
Greenfield