NEGAUNEE — The Historic Vista Theater can be saved, but urgent action is required.

That was the message relayed to the public by the Peninsula Arts Advisory Council in a press release sent out Tuesday morning.

The roof of the theater collapsed just after 8 a.m. on Aug. 26 due to a roof drain failure. Heavy rain poured over Marquette County the night before the collapse, stressing the roof’s drainage system, according to PAAC.

The collapse was devastating news for PAAC members, area residents and all who had a connection to the historic building.

However, an architectural study of the building was recently conducted, and the theater was deemed stable.

The study was conducted by Northern Design Works, based out of Negaunee. It concluded that debris clean-up, solidifying the walls and protecting portions of the building still plagued with water will be the next essential steps in restoring the theater.

PAAC hopes to move forward with these three main objectives before winter arrives.

“The firm estimates that at least $100,000 will be required to complete three essential tasks before the snow flies,” PAAC treasurer Lex Exworthy said in the release. “We need to get the debris out of the center of the building, that will require a crane and cost around $30,000. Then we need to shore up the walls to prevent further damage, that will require another $30,000 investment. Finally, we need to protect the two sections of the building that are still covered from the elements, that will likely cost another $30,000, plus the contingency.”

It’s important to note that the roofing material itself didn’t fail, officials said. Rather, it was the weight of the water that caused the roof to cave in. Both roof drains were checked and in working condition as of fall 2019.

“We have worked for the last several years to ensure the safety and viability of the building,” PAAC advisory board member Rusty Bowers said in the release. “We are extremely grateful that no one was in the building at the time of the incident.

“Based on the architect’s report — short of having someone go up on the roof to check it, we would not have known about the blocked drain and resulting water buildup that ultimately caused the truss failure.”

The theater had undergone some significant renovations and improvements in recent years, including a $25,000 feasibility and architectural studies, $5,000 in plumbing and furnace repairs, $70,000 in roof and wall repairs on the annex building next to the theater and $11,000 in stage roof repairs.

The money for the recent improvements, all of which have occurred within the last two years, came from private donors, the city of Negaunee, WPPI Energy and a Central Upper Peninsula Planning and Development ArtPlace grant.

PAAC has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise the money necessary to save the theater with a target of $100,000. As of Tuesday afternoon, the page had raised $6,400.

PAAC is also working to contact current and past community partners who may be able to offer help and guidance to make the building safe in the short term and ensure it will be available for use by generations to come, the release states.

Exworthy is thankful for the support the theater and organization has received from the community.

“The community has always been supportive of our nonprofit,” she said in the release. “It’s proven that this theater is not just a building. We believe, easily, the Vista has touched thousands of lives in the last 50 years alone. We look forward to continuing that legacy far into the future.”

The Negaunee City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday and the Vista Theater will be on the agenda to discuss the next steps.

Details for the GoFundMe campaign as well as updates can be found on the Vista Theater Facebook page at www.facebook.com/paacvistatheater or on the theater’s website at www.vistatheater.org.

Ryan Spitza can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. His email address is rspitza@miningjournal.net.