Union Point renewal advocate moving to Delaware

Residents of Union Point still are awaiting the completion of the restoration of the landmark Union Theatre.

And that work will continue, even though one of the theater's big proponents, Better Hometown program manager Lee Nelson, is stepping down this month and moving on from the small Greene County town.

"We appreciate everything he's done," Better Hometown/Downtown Development Authority board member Chris Drane said of Nelson, who'll be taking on a similar job in Delaware. "And we feel like it's a new opportunity for us to continue the work."

Nelson moved with his wife, Anne Jenkins, to Union Point from New Orleans in 2006 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and oversaw fundraising for the $440,000 restoration of the theater.

So far, the effort has collected $228,000 through grants and fundraising projects.

Drane grew up in Union Point and joined the DDA about a year ago, taking on a role he describes as project manager, contacting contractors, getting bids for work and setting out a project plan.

"A lot of people remember that theater from their childhood," Drane said of the building, which opened in 1947 and served as a movie house until the 1960s.

It sat empty until 1984, when it was purchased and served as a furniture store until 1997. For 10 years after that, it was a manufacturing facility, Mobley Saddlery and Harness Inc.

The Mobley family sold the building to the DDA in 2007 on the condition it would be used

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