The opening act has begun for a new arts center in Rosemount.

Renovations started in February on the former St. Joseph's Church and School on Hwy. 3 that will help transform the building into an arts and cultural center for the community.

Rosemount Director of Parks and Recreation Dan Schultz said the City Council approved a contract to make the minimum necessary improvements to open the building for public use, which is on schedule for early July.

Renovations will include repairing water damage, installing a fire suppression system, making accessibility upgrades and giving the walls a new coat of paint. "We want to get the doors open so people can start using it this summer," Schultz said.

The cost, a little more than $220,000, is far less than the $1 million proposed in a failed 2008 bond referendum. The city decided to go ahead with the project without the bonding support based on recommendations from a task force assigned to study the building and its potential uses for the community. Because of the building's architecture and presence downtown, the task force believed the old church was an asset to be preserved.

Schultz said making these initial improvements will protect the city's investment in the building.

"It would have further deteriorated if it were just to sit there for another couple of years," he said. "Plus, we're paying utilities, which are roughly $40,000 a year, whether the building is used or not."

The center will be open for multi-purpose events, from wedding ceremonies to theater and concerts to acting classes. "We're leaving it as a flexible space. It's not dedicated to one type of use," Schultz said.

How the facility is used will provide direction for further renovations. "The first few years the center will take a shape of its own," Schultz said. "Once it's open, the use will push demand for the next level of improvements."

The city still hasn't decided on a name and is still working out details for user fees and policies.

"We're in contact with a number of groups that have shown interest in the past and [are] waiting to see what happens after construction," Schultz added.

One such group is the Rosemount Area Arts Council. Keith Reed, a local actor and the Arts Council's president, said the initial renovations will provide a venue for various events. "We'd love to have the third annual film festival there in July. We also want to have an art show and are working out the details for sponsoring a photo contest."

Reed said the center is important for local actors to be able to perform in their own community as well as for Rosemount to showcase its home-grown talent. To that end, the council is looking for grant money to continue the renovations.

"We plan to develop a community theater," Reed said. "Sound and lighting are all things we want down the road."

The building also can house classes. "It's exciting to think of all the classroom space available," Reed said.

Kara Douglass Thom is a freelance writer from Savage.