After 35 years of shaping downtown, Jablonski leads CoMMA into a new era

Spanning her 35 years of work, Sharon Jablonski has seen the City of Morganton modernize in many ways. From the revitalization of the courthouse square to the development of the new city offices, she’s had a direct hand in shaping the city.

Sitting in the middle of the revamped banquet room at the Morganton Community House, a project that was completed through her leadership, she shared her most recent venture — bringing one of the city’s gems into a new era, the City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium, CoMMA.

Built in 1986, CoMMA has received few upgrades to meet the growing demand for live performances in the city. For larger shows, the venue has attracted attendees from 22 different zip codes, Jablonski said, adding that CoMMA deserves a makeover that reflects the community’s pride.

“I don’t think this community realizes how fortunate we are to have the caliber of the performing arts center that we do here,” Jablonski said. “When you travel and you see the other performing arts centers across the state, there really isn’t a community our size that has the caliber that we have so we should be very proud.”

The first update came last year when CoMMA received a new audio system. According to Jablonski, the old system had significant issues, particularly with sound levels and acoustics. The brick building caused sound to bounce and reverberate in unpredictable ways.

A new wave of improvements will better accommodate performers and their crews.

The modernization of CoMMA came with Jablonski’s transition to the role of Director of Creative and Cultural Development. For the 30 years prior, she headed the Main Street Office, helping lead major downtown development projects. So, when she stepped into her new role, the first step was to create a Master Plan for CoMMA’s needs.

The goal was to “stop, go back, and look at the whole big picture,” Jablonski said, adding that the master plan revealed the need for the front of house, auditorium, back of house, and exterior. The plans include new seats, dressing rooms, audio/video systems, loading dock, storage space, and a multipurpose space for community events and classes.

Monday evening, the Morganton City Council voted to kick off the first of three phases. The first phase will focus primarily on accommodations for performers and their crews, which will in turn continue to bring high-quality performances to Morganton, Jablonski said.

CoMMA will get a new loading dock facility, which will include crew restrooms, a crew lounge, offices, and storage. The venue frequently hosts Broadway shows, which bring a crew of 45-60 people, Jablonski said.

“If you can imagine, they can start at like 6 in the morning, and they may get to go home at 3 or 4 the next morning,” Jablonski said, adding that the lounge will give them a space to rest. Crews will also have their own restrooms, sparing them from navigating crowded lobby bathrooms during performances.

“It just is needed if we want to stay at the level, we’re at now, and grow,” Jablonski said.

The office space will also provide more room for CoMMA’s staff of five. Jablonski said she currently works out of a hallway space so Production Manager Tony Bova can have an office, since he works more directly with performers and their crews.

Phase one will also include ADA-compliant front doors, though the appearance of the front of the building will remain the same for now. In the auditorium, a new color scheme is coming that Jablonski said will bring new life to the dated look of the carpet and seats.

Jablonski said the seats need to be widened by about an inch to improve comfort, but because CoMMA must maintain at least 1,000 seats, she has been working with a separate vendor to develop an updated seating plan.

On Monday evening, the Morganton City Council approved an engineering contract with Szostak Design for $208,000. The goal is to have phase one plans submitted to the city’s Development and Design Department by May 1 and then have bidding and contracts by Nov. 1, 2027. Construction is expected to be finished in October 2028.

Once the first phase is finished, Jablonski said the city will focus on lobby modifications, changing the flow of the concession stand, and adding a stairwell behind the concession stand to lead to the second floor. Phase two includes adding bathrooms to the second floor, Jablonski said.

Currently, CoMMA is lacking a multipurpose space, Jablonski said. Planned upgrades include a 2,000- to 2,500-square-foot room with glass walls to be built above the existing women’s restroom. Jablonski said this added space would “really open up a world of possibilities,” including art shows, dance shows, teaching/breakout sessions, technology expos, and more intimate performances.

CoMMA’s modernization effort begins under Jablonski, but because the project will take several years to complete, it will likely finish under someone else’s leadership. Still, while she’s on the job, Jablonski said she intends to leave CoMMA better than she found it.

“I’ve been very fortunate in my job to get to do a lot of different things,” Jablonski said. “As long as I can keep being a positive force, making a difference, then I enjoy being here.”