HOBT Community Input Survey

We would like to invite you to participate in a discussion of HOBT's future in our physical home, the Avalon Theater at 1500 E Lake Street.

Our beloved Avalon has been home to HOBT for more than 25 years. During that time, the building has been a puppet building workshop, a banquet hall, an office suite, a wedding chapel, a disco, a community gathering space, a classroom, a kitchen, a conference center, a landmark, an artist studio, an art gallery, a movie theatre, a performance space, a warehouse, a music venue, and a museum. When our community has expressed a need, the Avalon has done its best to serve.

At the same time, the Avalon has poor air quality, marginal physical accessibility, outdated infrastructure, and inefficient heating and cooling systems. We don't have enough office space, classroom space, workshop space or storage space. Our lights, sound, and seating are far out of date and will eventually become unsafe. 

Our presence in this space has meant so many things to so many people. We also have a responsibility to provide safe, accessible, adequate space for everything we do. How do we balance these needs and make the best choice for HOBT and our community? 

WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR, we will need to make a choice where to put our energy: Should we deepen our investment in the Avalon, or will we better serve our mission and our stakeholders if we find a new space? You can help us right now by completing the following survey. It should take you less than 10 minutes. This survey will be one element in our decision-making process, including other factors such as financial viability. 

We will also provide an opportunity for our community to come together in a facilitated discussion. Look for the date for our community meeting at the end of the survey.