- More than $250,000 worth of damage has been done by a burst pipe that leaked water throughout the facility,
- Events at the venue for the next few months have been canceled, leading to the rescheduling of annual events such as Singers on the Grand.
- Watch the video above to see how neighbors are making the best out of the unfortunate damage.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Dehumidifiers are running at the historic Grand Ledge Opera House after a pipe burst during the deep freeze in late January.
"It's been very tiring, very sad for the opera house."
Nancy Harvey, the executive director of the Opera House, says this building holds importance for neighbors in Grand Ledge.
"The Opera House is known as the hidden gem of Grand Ledge. This building dates back to 1884," said Harvey.
And while this gem still shines, the repairs and renovations will be costly.
"Preliminary estimates—we’ve heard numbers anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000," said Harvey.
The building looks like a shell of what it used to be.
Harvey says their insurance is covering the major costs, but it couldn’t prevent the cancellation of more than 40 events over the next few months.
One of those events is Singers on the Grand. I spoke with Katy Brandon-McDonough and Charlie Martin, who are organizing the event.
They told me that news of the damage had them concerned.
"I was wondering about how much damage," said Martin.
"I was a little panicked," said Brandon-McDonough, Director of Singers on the Grand.
Brandon-McDonough has been part of the event for decades and says the Opera House holds a special place in her heart.
"I see friends, I hear the music—it’s just a montage of all the people who have worked to bring this into existence and maintain it," said Brandon-McDonough.
Singers on the Grand started as part of an effort to fund Opera House renovations in the 1990s.
Decades later, it’s come full circle, as the current repairs and renovations are expected to be finished in time for their rescheduled concert in May—giving the event new life and making it one of the first to be held at the restored venue.
"It’s quite an honor to come back to the Opera House after the renovation and be one of the first concerts held there," said Martin.
As your Grand Ledge neighborhood reporter, I’ve shown you how some neighbors are working to preserve local history.
In the fall, I spoke with a member of the Grand Ledge Historical Society about how he’s sharing historical photos of my neighborhood.
And Harvey showed me how she is working to preserve this part of neighborhood history.
She said that while the burst pipe has brought dark clouds of uncertainty, sunny weather is on the way as she looks forward to what the Opera House might look like after renovations.
"Actually, I’m very excited for that. It’s going to have a fresh new look," said Harvey.
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