By Matt Smith/msmith@trcle.com
Hillard Cochran, president of the Greater Cleburne Carnegie Players, praised the city’s performing arts center, presently under construction, during Tuesday’s meeting of the Cleburne 4B Economic Development Corporation.
“I went through to tour the facility recently and was very impressed,” Cochran said. “We’re looking forward to staging our first show there.”
Carnegie Players members donated $10,000 toward the project, locally donated money that came from the Carnegie’s building fund, Cochran said.
The money will help decorate and furbish the arts center’s green room and lobby, said Jeff Dugger 4B president.
The Cleburne Conference Center, funded by 4B and city money, houses a civic center and the performing arts center. Construction of the conference center is scheduled to be complete near year’s end, and the center is expected to open in the early months of 2010.
The Carnegie Players plan to begin staging plays at the performing arts center once it opens.
Layland caboose
4B members also discussed moving the caboose located beside the Layland Museum. Plans call for moving the caboose to land north of the Cleburne Intermodal, the site for a planned railroad museum. Board members are still working out details of the move, which they expect could happen in the next few weeks, Dugger said.
Board members also discussed a preliminary rental rate schedule for the conference center.
“It’s still a work in progress,” Dugger said. “But our plan is to have the rates set by our Nov. 19 meeting. Those rate recommendations will then be forwarded to the council for their approval.”
