CRESTVIEW — The Friends of the Arts has announced it will not fund repairs for a donated Wurlitzer electronic organ currently in Warriors Hall.
The organization will not maintain the instrument due to its condition and age, President Rae Schwartz said in an email. The decision followed a commissioned evaluation of the organ.
"While we were at the evaluation, the professional told us that most groups now use a digital organ, which this is not," Schwartz said.
The 1970s instrument was unstable and couldn’t be easily moved for various uses, a Friends statement said.
Sharon Jackson donated the organ to the city. It had been wrapped in plastic and rested on the family's covered front porch.
“Friends of the Arts appreciate the donation of the organ as a gesture of support for the arts and for the hall; we thank the donor for her consideration in doing this,” Schwartz said on our Facebook. “Unfortunately, the outcome is not what we would have hoped, but we do appreciate the opportunity to serve our city and its citizens.
City clerk Betsy Roy said the issue would be brought before the city council at a future meeting.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Friends of the Arts decides against organ maintenance