JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – With less than three weeks to go before it’s expected to reopen, Jackson city officials have spent more than $1 million to restore Thalia Mara Hall.
Documents obtained by WLBT show that the city has paid five companies more than a million to help restore the 2,000-seat municipal auditorium, months after the facility was shut down due to mold growth there.
The amount includes nearly $933,000 in charges from Guarantee Restoration Services for mold growth remediation. The first invoice, dated for November 6, was for $586,490, and included charges for equipment mobilization and setup, set containment, and basement mitigation.
The second invoice from the company came in on November 18. It was for $346,490, and included charges for continued basement work, lobby cleaning, office area cleaning, and encapsulation.
Thalia Mara Hall invoices by the numbers:
- November 6 – Guarantee Restoration Services, $586,490
- November 18 – Guarantee Restoration Services, $346,490
- November 19 – MCI Construction LLC, $24,950
- November 5 – Norman Roofing, $7,400
Encapsulation, according to a previous Google search, includes “sealing a space to protect them from moisture, pests, and other elements.”
The city was also charged $24,950 for plumbing and electrical by MCI Construction LLC, and $7,400 for a thermal scan of the auditorium roof conducted by Norman Roofing. Jackson also has agreed to pay up to $37,000 to CTEH, which conducted an early assessment of the facility.
Jackson City Council members also are paying Al-Turk Planning and Development LLC up to $172,000 to oversee work at Thalia Mara – an amount not included in the firm’s initial management contract with the city.
As for the hall, it was temporarily closed for maintenance and microbial remediation on August 1, after “early microbial activity” was found inside the building. The growth occurred after the HVAC there malfunctioned, increasing the heat and humidity in the facility.
An assessment conducted by CTEH found “visible dirt, debris, and suspect mold growth was observed on many surfaces,” with “overt and established fungal biofilms… present throughout the carpet on the first-floor auditorium.”
Last week, the Jackson City Council approved entering a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Finance and Administration to allow the state to release $1 million to the city for Thalia Mara renovation work.
During the 2024 Legislative Session, lawmakers set aside $1 million from the state’s BP settlement fund to help pay for “renovations, repairs, upgrades, and improvements” to the facility.
Under terms of the MOU, Jackson will put the funds in a separate account and will spend them solely on hall upgrades. The city must spend the money in 36 months from the day it is received. It also must provide quarterly reports to DFA to show how the funds are being used.
Plans are for the hall to reopen on January 17.
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