The Murphy Theatre is still in the running to receive $250,000 in federal funds to pay for a restoration project at the theater. Legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday turned down the amendment U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona filed with the Rules Committee. The vote was 328 voting no and 105 casting yes votes in favor of the amendment.

“We had a victory today,” U.S. Rep. Michael R. Turner said Thursday night. “This is very rewarding,” he said.

Turner called the funding “important and integral” for the community. “Wilmington has had such a blow economically, this is a time when we need to rally around the community and provide assistance when the community doesn’t have the resourses,” Turner said. “Congress agreed and voted overwhelmingly to keep the money in the bill for the Murphy Theatre.

“Even though we all want to tighten the federal spending bill, if the money is going to be spent anyhow, we need to fight for our fair share. It will make a big difference for the community,” he said.

Turner said he was assisted by U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette in presenting the case. LaTourette represents the 14th District in Ohio which is the Cleveland-Akron area.

The bill will now go to the Senate, but Turner said he did not expect that to happen until fall when the Legislature reconvenes following the August break. In the meantime, Turner said he plans to talk to the Ohio delegates — Sen. George Voinovich and Sen. Sherrod Brown — about supporting the bill in the Senate.

Turner had secured the $250,000 for the Murphy restoration project from the Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2010. The money would come from an Economic Development Initiative grant.

Turner said he secured the funding at the request of the Murphy Theatre board members and Wilmington city officials. “The funding will go toward restoring the historic theater including replacing the 50-year old boiler heating system, repairing the theater roof and performing electrical work,” he said.

The Murphy Theatre has been a focal point of Wilmington’s downtown historic district for more than 90 years. It serves as a community center, live theater and arts center for local residents and hosts 35 events in a typical year, attracting more than 6,000 adults and 4,000 children annually.