In the Daily Star today: Thanks to donations, Oneonta's embattled Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center has enough money to keep the lights on for at least a few months.
About $110,000 in contributions will keep Foothills operating for several months, said Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller, who last year took the helm of the struggling center.
"I'm quite confident it can continue operations," Miller said Tuesday. "But we have a lot to do on the programming and fundraising side."
The funds will pay bills for four or five months of expenses, including payroll and utilities, Miller said. Meanwhile, efforts continue to raise money for the long-term, respond to audits, develop community support and finish the main stage and theater.
But Foothills isn't out of the woods yet:
The challenges before Foothills include paying $1.4 million in debt to NBT and other banks, Miller said, and dealing with state audits.
Last year, Foothills was audited by the state Dormitory Authority, which is the administrator of $6 million in grants to the center. The authority has withheld the final payment of $500,000.
Miller said Foothills responded Dec. 17 to an audit letter and has yet to receive a response from the Dormitory Authority.
Dormitory Authority officials said the audit continues but had no further comment.
