The city of Valparaiso has taken its first official step toward a potential takeover of the Memorial Opera House from Porter County.
The board of works Friday approved a memorandum of understanding, letting the city begin a 60-day due diligence period. The agreement was approved by the county commissioners last month.
Mayor Jon Costas said that will allow city officials to make sure they understand the economics of the facility and that they're comfortable programming it. He said the goal is to make the Opera House self-sustaining.
"We need to make sure that we can see the feasibility of getting there because I don't know that it has been," Costas told the rest of the board of works. "So we're really digging into that."
Costas said Valpo Parks Director Kevin Nuppnau has already begun meeting with Opera House leadership and has more meetings scheduled.
If discussions are successful, the two sides would put together a more thorough agreement, making the city the exclusive operator of the Memorial Opera House. If that goes well, the county could eventually transfer ownership to the city entirely.
"So, I think it's a great plan, and we look forward to taking great care of that building and making sure it continues to be an important part of our arts — our theatrical arts and our musical arts," Costas added.
The board of works' approval came on the same day the Memorial Opera House was rededicated, following a four-month, $5 million dollar renovation project. Mayor Costas thanked the county for the significant investment and expressing interest in the partnership.
"That's the way government should work together," Costas said. "I mean, they're going to do some things better than us. We're going to do some things better. This is just what we do, and of course, the downtown is really important."
Costas hopes it will enhance the park department's existing efforts downtown.
The Opera House has been a point of contention within county government. The county council and commissioners went back and forth several times over the scope and cost of the renovations, before the project was ultimately approved.
