Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home Planning Commission has selected the Rio Theater and Sunshine Espresso as winners of its annual Quality Development Awards.
The two businesses will receive awards at 6 p.m. on Feb. 1, just prior to the Planning Commission’s regular meeting.
The awards are presented to members of the community who substantially improve the community through improvements to their own property.
“We talked about the general improvements and how they really added to Main Street,” said Planning Services Manager Laura LaRoque. Both of them repainted, and the Rio added lighting.
Rio owners Thomas and Erika Baham have replaced half of the seating and upgraded the entire sound system, Thomas Baham said. The business, located at 1439 Main St., also added stucco and tile work, replaced the carpet out front and acid-washed the concrete, although that will take more work.
The inside is painted too, but the work is far from done.
“We’ve painted the whole building multiple colors,” Baham said. “We’ve fixed the neon lights, added low-voltage neon lights. We’ve upgraded the poster boxes with backlit LEDs, low voltage. We’ve got the new LED display sign over here.”
“We’re doing a huge remodel inside.” That project will require closure of the theater for three weeks, and Baham said he expects to do that around the time of the Oregon Jamboree, if everything works out right.
Outside, Baham still wants to install more lights around the building, he said. The yellow lights sold out during Christmas, so he didn’t get it just the way the Ba-hams wanted it.
“We want it more Hollywood, elegant and upscale,” Baham said. The new look apparently inspired some to dress up for the premier of the new “Star Wars” movie in December.
“It just looks nice,” he said.
Erika Baham said the style is “vintage Hollywood glam.” It has hints of art deco, and is meant to be “elegant over gaudy.”
The new paint out front “is like the Hollywood lights that shine in the sky,” she said. “And we’re not done. We’re still working on it.”
The Bahams took over the business about a year ago.
“That was just kind of an eye-catcher for everyone,” Commission Chairman Henry Wolthuis said of the work done on the theater.
Over at Sunshine, 1209 Main St., structural work has been done and the complex boasts new paint and more.
“We had to re-frame the roof,” said Kayla Rosa, who has owned the business with her husband Joe since 2013. “And then we re-roofed it. Then we put new metal siding on, new windows, new doors, new gutters.”
They painted the shed, fencing and bathroom, and changed the landscaping out front, which used to be gravel. They re-stained the picnic table and deck and did some work in the flower bed.
“Brenda Winslow (a Master Gardener) helped us pick plants,” Rosa said.
They’ll be doing more in 2016, Rosa said. The Rosas plan to install new menu boards, a new lighted sign and a reader board. They’ll also do a new patio, which right now, is broken, cracked and holds water.
The Rosas are about 80 percent through their project, she said.
“When I drive somewhere, curb appeal is the number one thing I notice,” Rosa said. “I didn’t feel like it had the curb appeal and didn’t stand out. I wanted to make sure when somebody drives down Main Street, they will notice my business in a good way.”