Since it moved to Lawrence in February 2023, Heartland Film has been gradually renovating the interior of the Sterrett Center at 8950 Otis Ave. to suit its needs, but the nonprofit’s contractor has discovered some exterior issues on the City of Lawrence-owned building that need to be addressed.
Heartland Film President Michael Ault asked the Lawrence Parks Board to forgive about $20,000 in lease payments so the nonprofit could use that money for that exterior work. The board voted Aug. 14 in favor of that request.
Prior to the vote, Ault gave a presentation with the building contractor detailing what is needed.
“We have some external things that we’ve noticed after being in there a good year,” Ault said. “Last year, we did some work on the exterior windows and some of the woodwork — that’s all been secured. What we’ve noticed now is there’s some woodwork around all of the windows that is just rotting.”
Rotten wood also was found on the building’s 24 exterior columns.
“If you just happen to kick one of those columns, you’re going to kick the base of it off of there. They’re that rotted,” Ault said. “That’s why we’re really looking at doing this. We’d like to get it done as soon as possible, just so we don’t have to go through another winter with this.”
The plan is to replace that wood with a historically accurate fabrication made from a resin compound that is insect resistant and should last longer than wood.
Ault also noted that the building has a “bird problem” in porch rafters that so far has not been fixed, even after adding rows of bird spikes. They plan to install a beadboard ceiling to close off the rafters and hopefully solve the issue of bird poop at the building’s west patio and birds protecting their nests by swooping at people walking by.
Parks Director Eric Martin said the lease calls for a payment of $5,000 a month, but utilities are taken out of that payment. The city ends up collecting about $3,500 a month in rent from Heartland.
Parks Board Chair Jeff Vest noted that he also has served on the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority, which worked to rehabilitate and find tenants for the former Fort Benjamin Harrison Army Base buildings. The base closed in the early 1990s.
“I see this as a win-win, as we continue to maintain our old facilities out here — our goal was to get it used every day to celebrate the culture out here at Fort Harrison,” he said before the board voted unanimously in favor of Heartland’s request.
The Sterrett Center once served as the Fort Harrison Service Club and housed a combined military and recreational library. In 2019, the city invested $250,000 for improvements to the facility.
Ault said he hopes to have all the building’s renovations and repairs completed by Oct. 1.
For more about Heartland Film, visit heartlandfilm.org.
