Is there a new movie theater coming to Utica? With all the growth in Downtown Utica and The Bagg’s Square area, it seems only fitting that a movie theater would be the next big step. Frank Dragotto is from Ilion and wants to make this a reality!

Ever since the historic Uptown Theater stopped showing first-run movies, the City of Utica has been without an alternative to Marquee Cinemas in New Hartford. The theater will follow the lead of an amazing concept already successfully in the works in Connecticut. According to the Utica OD,

The theater would be modeled after the Prospector Theater in Ridgefield, Connecticut, Dragotto said. That theater consists of four screens, a restaurant, a bar and a café. Its mission, according to its website, is to provide vocational training and meaningful job opportunities to adults with disabilities.

There are many proposed locations for this new theater including the old ‘Doyle Hardware’ building on Broad Street, the Old North Utica Rite Aid building, or a partnership with The Children’s Museum. This idea seems like a brilliant one. Not only would a new option for movies be a relief, but this area has so many great organizations that help people with disabilities including The ARC and Upstate Cerebral Palsy that would benefit from an opportunity like this. The big question is where would funding for something like this come from? Dragotto tells the OD,

He is looking to MV500, a local initiative aiming to win one of three $500 million prizes in the Upstate Revitalization Competition, for help funding the project locally.

No matter where the funding comes from, hopefully Frank gets it. This seems like an amazing project that would do great things for everyone in our community.

BONUS VIDEO: The Top 5 Reasons Utica Is An Awesome Place To Live

More From Lite 98.7