The Porter County Board of Commissioners plans to sign off at its monthly meeting Tuesday morning on a memorandum of understanding that would transfer management of the Memorial Opera House to the city of Valparaiso for a term of five years.
If the county is satisfied with the building’s management during that time, ownership would be given to the city at the end of the term.
Board of Commissioners President Jim Biggs, R-North, said the change will save the county about $200,000 per year as costs such as heating, cooling, staffing, benefits and production are taken on by the city under the agreement. The Valparaiso Parks Department would run the venue and MOH employees would become city employees.
While Biggs said the city approached the county about the transfer, Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas said it was the other way around and that talks have been ongoing for a while. He said it was wise of the county to consider the move as the city enjoys economies of scale as it manages a variety of venues such as the William E. Urschel Pavilion within Central Park Plaza.
It would be the first time the city has taken over management or ownership of a county venue and would fit right in with Valparaiso’s plan to develop an arts district along Indiana Avenue from the opera house four blocks east to Locust Street.
A grant from the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission will soon be used for streetscaping from Blockhead Beerworks on Washington Street east to Morgan Boulevard and beyond.
“It’s important to our goals to keep the downtown vibrant,” Costas said. “Our concern was that it (the opera house) needed significant renovating to operate at its fullest capacity and now that it’s been complete we can consummate this agreement,” Costas said, referring to the nearly $5 million renovation of the venue expected to be completed this month.
There was much infighting among the council and commission as to what level the renovation would be taken. Originally, a plan to spend upwards of $8 million on a more elaborate renovation that involved connecting the facility to the neighboring Sheriff’s Residence via a modern glass and metal addition was passed by the board of commissioners with appropriations of $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act money made by the council.
When the makeup of the commission changed in January 2023, Biggs and new Commission Vice President Barb Regnitz, R-Center, scuttled the plan. Eventually, the two bodies agreed on a modified renovation that would stay within $5 million.
Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, is supportive of Valparaiso taking over.
“It’s become a staple for live theater and I think they value that live theater takes people from all walks of life and they all have to work together really hard to put on a show,” she said. “All walks of life, all political persuasions, they come together and create something wonderful and that’s really rare in today’s world.”
Costas said MOH employees would all be given the opportunity to work for the city and would most likely continue “in their current work there.” He praised the staff’s institutional knowledge and said it would be a priority that they enjoy a great transition.
Neither Biggs nor Costas were certain of how the benefits differed for employees at the county versus the city.
“Typically they’re pretty similar,” Costas said. “We have the same PERF (Public Employees Retirement Fund) program.”
“At the end of the day what’s most important to us is the future of that building because it’s a war memorial and Valpo has a very good history of taking care of their buildings,” Biggs said. “We don’t have the mechanism to oversee it properly.”
Costas said the Valparaiso Parks and Events departments have significant experience in ticketing and the city sees value in the concerts, performances, and neighborhood musicals that have been produced at the MOH.
“We don’t see a big change in the use of it,” he said. “We see an augmenting of the use of it.”
Biggs said it would be important for the Porter County Council to weigh in on any change of ownership if that were entertained down the road, though word of the change in management was news to Council President Mike Brickner, R-At-Large.
Despite the surprise, he was complimentary of the plan.
“I worked for Valpo for 31 years,” said the former Valparaiso Police Chief. “They do a pretty good job with that kind of stuff.”
If approved on Tuesday, the MOU includes 60 days of due diligence. Costas expects the city would be ready to take over management of the MOH by the end of the year, maybe sooner.
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
