Senate Bill 558, introduced by Sen. Ida G. Ruben (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring would authorize the state to issue a $1 million bond to be used as a loan by the board of directors of the Old Blair Auditorium Project to renovate the building. Dels. Sheila E. Hixson, Gareth E. Murray and Peter V.R. Franchot of District 20 have introduced companion legislation, House Bill 861.

The legislation requires the board of directors match the donation with $500,000 of their own dollars by June 1, 2007. Money raised can come from private donors, but not from the state. It could take up to $1.5 million to renovate the building.

Ruben said she had introduced a bill for a bond for the auditorium a few years ago, but advocates for the auditorium were not organized. The auditorium is now part of the Silver Spring International Middle School and Sligo Creek Elementary School campuses.

"Now [auditorium boosters] are ready to fund raise and match the dollars," Ruben said.

Residents, parents and arts advocates have formed a nonprofit organization, the Old Blair Auditorium Project, to serve as the management entity for the facility's renovation. In the past few months, volunteers raised $26,676 from private donors, according to Busy Graham, board member and executive director of Class Acts Arts, which puts on music and arts programs in the area.

That money was matched by a county arts and humanities grant, bringing the total money raised to more than $45,000.

Once a 1,200-seat auditorium with fully equipped dressing rooms and a rising orchestra pit, the old Blair auditorium has been boarded up for seven years, since Blair moved to its location at University Boulevard and Colesville Road and its former campus was converted into the middle and elementary schools. For budgetary reasons, Montgomery County Public Schools officials decided not to renovate the auditorium.

But members of the community have said the auditorium is a resource that shouldn't sit empty.

"There are many arts organizations that would love to take advantage of it," said Kensington resident Cathy Fink of the Grammy-winning folk duo Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer.

Before the auditorium closed, Fink and Marxer would perform their annual family Christmas concert there, often with other well-known artists like Pete Seeger. Since then, they've had to take their performance to the District, Fink said.

They haven't found a perfect place to perform since, she said, adding she liked how although the old Blair auditorium was large, it felt intimate to perform there. The location was well known and it was easily accessible.

Should the auditorium be renovated, she would perform there again, Fink said.

"We definitely need it, especially in this part of Montgomery County," said Theresa Cameron, executive director of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. The schools could both benefit from having the auditorium open, as could other arts organizations in the county.

The facility has good acoustics, Cameron said, and could be used for small ensembles, dance and theater. The building is "just sitting there," and doesn't need much done to it to get it up and running.

"It's there ... and there are people that need to use that space," Ruben agreed. "We can't leave that there to rot."

For more information about efforts to renovate the auditorium, visit www.oldblairauditorium.org.