A local construction company is donating its services to provide some much-needed renovations to the Little Theatre off Broadway.

“It was the answer to a prayer we hadn’t even asked,” said Lisa Napier-Garcia, president of the Little Theatre off Broadway board.

Columbus-based company Utmost Renovation will begin renovations sometime this October. The project should take about a month.

LTOB operates at 3981 Broadway in a building constructed as a silent movie theater in the 1920s, Napier-Garcia said.

The old brick building leaks at several places on the roof and through the concrete foundation and walls, she said.

The leaking water also makes storage difficult. “We have to be very careful with what we can keep in the building,” she said.

The theater has been dealing with these issues for about 15 years, Napier-Garcia said.

Mark Huffer, a Grove City resident and co-owner of Utmost Renovation, said he and his wife came up with the idea of assisting the theatre.

“I’m a big firm supporter of non-profits and charitable organizations,” he said, and the venue provides great entertainment for Grove City residents.

New carpet was installed on Sept. 28. Huffer plans to repaint the building’s front entry, clean the brick façade and remove old paint. He will replace old brick and mortar to address the leaking, and seal the building’s foundation. He also plans to repair the leaking roof.

The theater’s budget usually is about $60,000 per year, Napier-Garcia said, with a typical year-end surplus of about around $3,000.

Surplus funds typically are used for small repairs to the building, which usually represent a temporary fix.

“They tend to be an ongoing problem,” she said.

“We really do put the monies that we spend into the shows and into just operating the business,” she said.

This is the 53rd season for LTOB, which has been at 3981 Broadway since the late 1960s. The theater can seat up to 96 people.

LTOB is a nonprofit and performs six shows per year: two comedies, two dramas and two musicals, Napier-Garcia said. The performers are volunteers.

Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek