The city and its residents should own Sierra Theater
Let’s get this straight right from the git-go. I truly love the performing arts.
When I was just a wee lad of 10, my stepfather opened the first folk music nightly venue in Fresno, and many of those itinerate musicians spent time in my living room. I dangled my feet through the railing at the top of stairs and peered down through the banister when I was supposed to be in bed, and I listened to their music and their wonderful stories of all sorts of incredible encounters in magical, far-off places. When I grew up, I followed in their footsteps and made my living for a time as one of those wandering musicians.
My experiences as a musician and a performing artist shaped my life to a large degree. My dearest and most lasting friendships arise from those heady days of yesteryear. I met some of the people I hold dearest to this day in the summer of 1968 — around the time I strolled into the Catacombs Coffee House on Van Ness Avenue as a recent high school graduate thinking I could pass myself off as a folk singer by playing acoustic versions of 60s rock songs. Boy, was I wrong.
The audience there both knew and loved folk music, and they actually laughed at me. Out loud. One girl even snorted!
Luckily, David Halk, one of the regular performers and still a dear friend, caught me on my way out the door that first night. Still chuckling at me, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Man, I like what you’re doing, but you’ve got to get some new material!” Truth be told, I can’t imagine my life without music or without those musical people who were my idols, my mentors and my friends. So, I am an unabashed fan of this project and all our local performing arts groups.
So please don’t tell me I’m trying to sabotage the Sierra Theater deal that’s on the agenda for Wednesday’s Susanville City Council meeting. I’m all in favor of some sort of deal, and as long as the matter is up for discussion, I feel compelled both as a citizen and a journalist to get the word out and to offer my two cents worth, even though I am not a city resident.
Questions and concerns
Of course — my first question. I’ve always wondered why when the city received something like $3.5 million in federal money to help the community survive the COVID-19 pandemic, it couldn’t find anyone back then who could use this money for its intended purpose. I guess that’s really a question for another time and another place.
A spending frenzy began when the feds notified the city that any leftover American Rescue Plan Act money (part of $1.9 trillion package approved by Congress in March 2021) had to be allocated or spent by Dec. 31, 2024 or it would need to be returned. God forbid.
In a scramble for projects, the council moved forward with the purchase of Sierra Theater for the Susanville Symphony Society.
The waters surrounding the question of who would receive the theater became murky when former mayor Quincy McCourt and some members of local performing arts groups got involved and submitted their own proposal.
At the time Mayor Mendy Schuster noted the organization that originally asked for the funding was the Susanville Symphony Society, not this new group. She also noted the deadline to apply for the funds had passed. That all eventually got worked out.
Now the city that originally planned to purchase the theater with the ARPA funds, used that money to purchase part of the city’s new fire truck instead, and the theatre purchase money would come from the general fund money originally allocated for the fire truck. Someone smarter than me will have to explain the rationale for that one.
According to the business summary, part of the business plan submitted to the city up for discussion Wednesday evening. “Led by the Susanville Symphony, the mission is to acquire and refurbish the iconic Sierra Theater and to revitalize the building into the Sierra Theater Performing Arts Center. The space will be designed to be an accessible and inclusive, community-centered performing arts space and culture hub that offers compelling programming. Revenue will be anchored by performances from local, regional and national artists as well as by memberships, sponsorships, merchandise sales and food and beverage sales. The Sierra Theater Performing Arts Center will be the first of its kind in the region, delivering complementary creative services in a single facility and becoming a creative destination for artists and audiences alike.”
According to this business plan, the project cost for the acquisition of the building is $400,000 to acquire the property (currently owned by the Smiths who operated the theatre until it closed a couple of months ago and continue to operate the Uptown Cinemas as well). An additional $50,000 is earmarked for engineering and sound consultants. some of that money apparently was used to create this business plan.
Here’s what got me thinking
According to the business plan, “The Sierra Theater Performing Arts Center is expected to create two companies: The Sierra Theater Performing Arts Center property company will acquire and manage the building (Sierra Theater). The Sierra Theater Performing Arts Center operating company will run the day-to-day operations. In such an arrangement, the operating company will rent the facility from the legal entity that controls the property. Such an arrangement will insulate the property against risk.”
When I read that, I immediately called my son, who is an attorney, to ask why would there be two business entities envisioned in a situation like this? What’s wrong with the Symphony Society? He explained one entity would own the theatre and in order to reduce the owner’s risk, the building would be rented or leased to a second business entity that would operate the theatre. Of course, he noted despite such an arrangement, it’s difficult for any business entity to avoid all risk.
Now I always thought the deal was to buy the building for the Symphony Society. I had never envisioned a separate business entity that would own the building and then lease it out to a second business entity — neither of which would be the Susanville Symphony Society.
I’ve never heard this discussed. Ever.
I also wondered how the city giving $400,000 in general fund taxpayer money to some as yet unidentified and unrevealed entity to purchase and manage the Sierra Theater to rent or lease the facility to a second entity would not be considered a gift of public funds?
My idea
Why doesn’t the city just buy the theater, retain ownership and lease it to the performing arts groups just as the new as yet uncreated business entity would do?
The city and the city residents would then own the theater they purchased with taxpayer money rather than buying it and giving it to someone.
And the performing arts groups would still be able to run the facility exactly as they would have under the envisioned private ownership.
According to the business plan, by the second quarter next year, the theater project will have raised an additional $500,000 to create architectural plans, hire contractors and architect, finalize formal construction budget and timing, finalize design, remove wall, initiate stage upgrades. compete renovations, take delivery of furniture, fixtures, and equipment, update sound and lighting, launch marketing plan to build awareness of the Susanville Performing Center, continue interviews for staff, launch marketing plan, develop strategic partners, build relationships with local businesses, launch PR strategy, interview, hire, and train staff, execute social media platform and formally launch the theater.
I spoke to someone close to the situation who told me the cost of renovating the theatre would be much higher if the city owned the building, and the newly envisioned entity could get it done for about a third of the city’s cost because the city would have to pay prevailing wages.
That may be. Frankly, I hadn’t thought of that. Permanent improvements to buildings are often referred to as “fixtures,” and I wonder if such issues couldn’t be handled through the eventual lease agreement. Seems like time to consult the legal beagles and figure out a possible solution to this wrinkle.
For example, all the lighting and sound improvements made by Best of Broadway at the Veterans Memorial Hall — owned by Lassen County — reportedly are now county property. Why can’t we do that same kind of thing at Sierra Theater?
Here’s the thing — the original vision was to save the old theater and provide a place for our local performing arts groups, especially the Susanville Symphony, to perform.
I am all for that. Totally. And that’s rightly the immediate goal of this project — creating a place for our local performing arts groups and those us living in Susanville and the surrounding areas would want to attend.
It seems to me, we should get that done first. That’s easy. We can do that right now. Live performances could be delivered today without much modification to the facility. Let’s worry about having a suitable place for the Rolling Stones 100th anniversary concert when the theater generates some income to pay for these improvements.
We don’t need dinner service at the stage and special big donor seating today. We need a place for our local performers to do their thing. We can do that now. Just let those dedicated folks run with it and see what they can create. We can do that today.
And I guess if the city wanted the performing arts groups to have some skin in the game, they could pay the city of percentage of the revenue, if necessary.
And I guess there’s another big bugaboo — some have said the selling price of $400,000 is only offered to the Susanville Symphony Society and the city of Susanville would have to pay much more to buy the theater.
I’m more than willing to take my chances on that one — $400,000 in hand or worrying about a closed and vacant building?
Ah, let me think about that one for a second.
Thank you for letting me share my thoughts in print. I hope I’ve contributed something positive to the conversation.
