We met with the Knoxville City Council last night to get clarification on the fire sprinkler issue. This has been a bump in the road - and will delay the project - but will NOT stop us from reopening! When you have a minute, read the presentation we brought to the Council and weigh in with your views. These are all constructive conversations, so be positive! :) Since forming our non-profit late last year, we’ve raised in excess of $200,000 through local and regional grants, corporate donations and sponsorship, and private gifts and donations. In addition, we’ve also hosted a number of volunteer work days to help clean out our old building, and demolish what needed demolished to make way for a beautiful, brand new theater while still maintaining historic/nostalgic character. When all said and done, we’ll be able to show not only brand new movies, but classic and independent films, and television series and broadcasts such as the Iowa-Iowa State game or the season premiere of a popular show. We hope to also open our space for live performance, including but not limited to bands, comedians, community theater/chorus, etc. Once our renovation is completed, we also hope to act as a venue for other educational and community functions including speakers, presentations, and community assemblies. All told, it will be a terrific venue for mid-sized productions and gatherings, and will be an awesome complement to the larger space we now have at the Performing Arts Center. Since taking possession of the building at the first of the year, we’ve worked with hundreds of volunteers to completely gut the building. We’ve also recently installed brand new, super-efficient furnace and A/C systems, totally re-plumbed the building, enlarged the restroom space, and laid plans for a new, innovative method of re-roofing the property. We’re also working with local artisans to craft the coolest custom sconces for the auditoriums and lobby spaces, cheaper, larger, and better than anything we’ve found in any catalog. We’ve also worked with local electricians to rewire the building. However, as our contractors have worked to make plans for the second phase of their work (where are the outlets going; where are light fixtures going; etc.) they consulted with the State Fire Marshal’s office so the placement of our new ‘EXIT’ signage and strobe lighting can meet compliance with the most modern code for our facility. In that conversation, the Fire Marshal’s office informed them that – because of our occupancy class – our facility would also need a sprinkler system. In our initial planning conversations with City staff, we had been told more than once that we would not need to install a sprinkler system. Ultimately, it is within the City’s responsibility/jurisdiction to enforce that code, so we felt comfortable with those assurances. Because the State code dictates that a sprinkler system is required in an assembly-type occupancy like ours, we’d like definite clarification from the City Council as to your wishes for the space. Since meeting with former Assistant City Manager Dylan Feik, Fire Chief Jim Mitchell, and an engineer from the State Fire Marshal’s office, we have received a handful of quotes from Iowa-based sprinkler contractors. Those bids include a range of options from all wet systems, a wet/dry system, and an all dry system so that we can make the most informed decision when planning not only for the sprinklers, but also for insulation, wallboard, and more. At this point, the pricing for sprinkler systems range from $30-50,000. Because our building has been and – hopefully – always will be a Theater; because we’re completely stripping the old, inefficient, and unsafe wiring from the building; because patrons are no longer allowed to smoke indoors; because we’re working to improve exit signage, lighting, and accessibility; because – though the chances of a misfire of the sprinkler system are minute – any water damage to our facility will result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to electrical equipment, upholstery, and building materials; and because our budget and fundraising abilities simply won’t allow for a $50,000 shock like this, we ask that the Council waive the requirement for a sprinkler system at the Theater. Additionally, given that the Theater has a proven track record of supporting local business, encouraging economic development, and attracting people and families to Knoxville rather than allowing them to slip out of town for an evening/weekend, we hope that the Council will throw their full financial support behind our renovation progress. Every restaurateur in town has told us about the slowdown in their business when the Theater closed. With the Theater closed and the Streetscape project happening, Downtown businesses of every stripe have now been hit twice by circumstances beyond their control. In spite of reduced traffic, reduced sales, and slimmer margins, our Downtown business owners have been among our most loyal contributors and vocal advocates. In researching other communities who have gone through this process, we always find examples of communities stepping up and pitching in when needed. Our volunteers are fantastic and our contractors are so helpful and willing to offer advice and services over and above what we pay them for; but most importantly, we have the support of the community at-large. I’ve not encountered one person who has told me I’m wasting my time, or that anyone on our Board is wasting theirs. In fact, most everyone who asks me about the Theater thanks us for what we’re doing and repeats the same line we’ve all said to one another in conversation, “Knoxville needs a Theater!” In meeting with Stu Job at Iowa State Savings Bank, Kevin Kincaid at the Knoxville Hospital, Tracinda Yaw at 3M, and Pat Weiler at Weiler Products, they’ve all said – in one way or another – that these types of projects are among the kind that matter to them. They improve the quality of life in the community their businesses are investing and they help those businesses attract and retain the best talent. And these aren’t low-paying jobs, either. There’s also a reason Sundance and Iowa Realty have contributed to the project – quality of life moves houses. A thriving housing sector has more positive spillover benefits than almost any other. As a quick example of our current predicament: for a change of scenery, our RAGBRAI Executive Committee met at the Knoxville Airport conference room a number of times. While there for one of our meetings, we got a chance to meet the Mercy One helicopter pilots between calls. We asked them how they were enjoying Knoxville, and one said, “Oh, I bought a house in Indianola.” We asked why, and he said, “Knoxville doesn’t even have a Theater. Why would I move here?” We’re not pretending that this was his sole criteria in deciding where to live, but it does highlight the fact that we need to continue bettering the quality of life in our community. This project isn’t about the popcorn. It’s about making sure we as a community have all the pieces of the puzzle in place to continue growing and prospering well into the future. With the money spent on Downtown infrastructure improvement; with a surge in private funds and SSMID money currently being invested back into Downtown properties; with the City reinvigorating their focus on economic development; with the plotting of new housing developments at all price points; and with employers now and in the future growing and hiring (and supporting our project in HUGE ways), we hope the City would consider contributing the funds needed to finish the project. Assuming we aren’t required to install sprinkler systems, the estimated cost to finish the work we’ve already started is $137,000. All at once, or spread over three years, this is a drop in the bucket considering the long term benefits of our project, the increases in sales tax you’ll collect from surrounding businesses over the life of the Theater, the businesses we hope will spring up around it… not to mention the renewed vibrancy of the community and Downtown, specifically. With Hotel/Motel tax receipts up in recent years, Franchise Fees coming in higher than expected, and an estimated budget surplus, I hope you’ll consider building a sizable contribution into the coming budget year(s). Thank you for your time, and any consideration these requests receive. I know resources are limited, but we wouldn’t approach you unless we felt you’d see a return on your investment in our project. As I’ve said before: because we are a non-profit, once we’re operational we hope to mimic the Chariton Theater’s business model by distributing any excess funds not needing for improvements at the Theater back into the community that’s helped us through our renovation. This could mean additional money for Downtown beautification and façade improvement, scholarships for graduating seniors, computers and books for the Library, and new playground equipment for the Parks. The community will make the Theater happen, and the Theater will continue to make sure the community ‘happens.’ Thank you! There is a Work Session scheduled for Tuesday, September 30th at 6:30pm at City Hall. It is open to the public, and we encourage citizens - especially Downtown business and property owners - to attend!
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 15:55:53 +0000
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