PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Chester County community theater could go dark in the coming months as West Pikeland Township sells the stage out from under them.
West Pikeland Township supervisors want a new police station, so they bought 1001 Kimberton Road for around $5.3 million and plan to renovate the former user car dealership there. To fund the purchase, they plan to sell 1645 Art School Road — the refurbished home of SALT Performing Arts.
“In 2023, the township approached us saying they needed to replace the back wall of the theater because it was crumbling, because it's so old,” said Lauren McComas founder, board president and artistic director of SALT. “We saw that as a potential opportunity.”
SALT raised the money, saving the township the expense, and the result was $400,000 in improvements made to the site and a 10-year agreement with West Pikeland for SALT to use the 156-seat theater.
Now the township is awaiting bids due by Dec. 2 for the property. SALT, meanwhile, is raising money to buy the site before the curtains close.
“We are trying our hardest from now till then to fundraise as much as we can, to potentially have a hope and a prayer of being able to potentially buy the building,” McComas said.
“It would really genuinely screw us over. It would be a genuine hardship if we are not victorious here somehow.”
The township has not responded to a request for comment.
West Pikeland Township wants to sell site to pay for purchase of space to build new police station
West Pikeland Township wants to sell site to pay for purchase of space to build new police station
