How much does it cost to rent historic, 56-year-old, 2,000-plus seat, downtown-theater Thalia Mara Hall that is currently temporarily closed for much needed upgrades?
That would be $1,200, an amount Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba called “woefully insufficient.”
“You can rent Thalia Mara Hall for your birthday party,” Lumumba said during a Monday press conference. “In comparison, we know that New Orleans, some of their venues, their charging $40,000 … When you have a fee that is that inexpensive, then when you have crews that are trying to maintain things, when you have the cost of clean-up, those things don’t become achieved, because we’re charging such a woefully insufficient charge for those people that rent Thalia Mara Hall.”
Some events use the venue and make “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” the mayor said, “and the city is walking away with $1,200.”
Lumumba announced the venue’s rental price as he was discussing updates to the ongoing maintenance of the building, which closed for an unspecified amount of time on Aug. 1 after “microbial activity” was found. Once the upgrades are completed, the mayor said, there will be talks on raising the venue’s rental price, which ultimately has to be approved by the Jackson City Council.
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The mayor also announced that a remediation team conducted testing on the “microbial activity” last week. The results of those tests will determine the next steps going forward and will give more of an idea on how long the venue will be closed.
“The testing has been done, waiting on the results, and we’ll keep you updated on that process,” Lumumba said.
Other upgrades the venue currently needs, according to Lumumba:
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A new HVAC system, which failed in late July causing the “microbial activity.”
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A rigging system, which is used to suspend items above the ground or stage for events, is being evaluated to see if it needs to be replaced.
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In February, the venue went under renovation to turn a freight elevator into a passenger elevator to meet ADA compliance standards. There are plans to build another external elevator in the works.
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The venue’s fire curtain will also need to be replaced.
Lumumba thanked the Mississippi State Legislature for allocating $1 million this past session for improvements to the venue. But Lumumba said the total amount the repairs will cost the city is $4 million or $5 million, though he said that is just an estimation.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: How much can I rent Thalia Mara Hall for in Jackson MS?
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