Presenter outlines $14–16 million plan to restore Smith Baker Center into 500-seat performance hall

A presenter outlined plans to convert the sanctuary of the Smith Baker Center in Lowell City into a 500-seat performance hall and event space, with a separate 100-seat performance venue on the first floor and associated amenities.

The presenter said the project would be a full preservation effort restoring original features while adding a full-service bar and restaurant, a shared-use commercial kitchen for a culinary incubator and in-house catering, classrooms and studios for after-school music and art programs, administrative offices, rotating gallery and exhibit spaces, and full ADA upgrades to the property. "We are on track to close on June 24th on the sale of the building with construction starting in early July," the presenter said.

The presenter said the team has raised $1.5 million in capital so far and estimated the total project budget at between $14 million and $16 million. The presenter described the plan as a mixed-use cultural and community facility intended to host performances, arts education and food-entrepreneur programming, but gave no further details about operating partners or specific funding sources beyond the capital already raised.

No formal vote or city council action was recorded in the transcript excerpt provided; the presenter described the project as "under contract with the city" and gave the June 24 closing date and an early-July construction start as the next procedural milestones.