Natasha Vaughn is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Crandell Theatre Board of Directors has announced it has raised $2 million toward its $3 million goal to renovate the historic cinema located on Main Street in Chatham and to establish an endowment. The board announced it has raised $1 million toward the $2 million renovation cost and another $1 million has been received for an endowment to sustain the theater into the future. “We’re very, very excited because this has long been a dream for so many of us,” said Lydia Kukoff, president of the board of directors. Kukoff said the Crandell is one of only a few single-screen historic theaters that remain. Most have been converted for other uses or demolished, she said. Kukoff said the $2 million was raised from individual contributions. The renovation project will include expansions to the lobby and concession area, upgrades to the building’s audio system, replacing the 500 theater seats, improving handicapped access, creating functional staff workspace and storage and modernizing the restrooms. The Crandell hosts community events and film festivals such as the FilmColumbia festival annually. The theater is currently closed because of the pandemic and has now been shuttered for almost exactly a year, Kukoff said. The board hopes to finish fundraising and begin construction in January 2022. The goal is to reopen in time for FilmColumbia in late 2022, Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.