JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – For Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks, it’s just like the $700,000 for potholes all over again.
Documents obtained by WLBT on Tuesday show that as of August 5, the state had some $1.95 million in funds allocated to Jackson to repair Thalia Mara Hall.
However, the city had not completed all the paperwork needed to draw down those funds.
Meanwhile, the funds have been sitting in an account with the Department of Finance and Administration for months, with $1.5 million coming from an allocation awarded to the city during the 2023 Legislative Session, and another $450,000 left over from an allocation from 2022.
Banks questioned why the city hadn’t accessed those dollars with all of the needs facing Thalia Mara.
He says the situation reminds him of the city’s failure to use the $700,000 the council set aside for pothole repairs as part of the 2024 budget.
“I want to see why or get an explanation of this money wasn’t spent,” he said. “Somebody should provide us with it.”
The revelation comes weeks after the Municipal Auditorium was shut down after mold growth was discovered there.
It also comes a day after Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba told reporters the city didn’t have the money to replace the faulty air conditioning unit that shut down, leading to the mold.
“It wasn’t not done for a lack of political will,” he said at his Monday press conference. “What we find is that our needs exceed our means… When you’re in a circumstance where your needs exceed your means, then you have to find what… the highest priority [is] that has to be dealt with at that time.”
[READ: Lumumba refutes claim city neglected Thalia Mara Hall; responds to arts community’s concerns]
Estimates show it will cost around $1.45 million to replace the HVAC unit, which had been operating at 25 percent capacity for a decade.
Meanwhile, the state has allocated some $5 million to repair Thalia Mara since 2022. That year, lawmakers gave the city $2 million to repair the facility ahead of the 2023 International Ballet Competition. Another $1.5 million was allocated in 2023, followed by another $1.5 million during the 2024 Legislative Session.
According to copies of bills for 2023 and 204, the funds were to go toward “costs associated with repairs, renovations, and upgrades to Thalia Mara Hall.” The money would be given to the city as a direct allocation through the Department of Finance and Administration.
City records show that $450,000 of 2022 monies remains, as does the full $1.5 million from 2023.
The state has yet to make available the 2024 allocation. Those funds likely won’t be available to until the start of the 2025 fiscal year in October.
According to a memo from Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons included in the council’s September 10 meeting packet, as of August 5, “receipt of the funds is pending… state of Mississippi approval and a modification of the MOU between the state and the city.”
Once Jackson receives the money, the city is required to complete quarterly reports on how the funds are spent.
As for the funding from 2022, a source familiar with the subject tells WLBT Jackson took “longer than anticipated” to meet that requirement, delaying its ability to draw down the $1.95 million currently available.
Even had the funds been in city coffers, one official says it doesn’t mean the air conditioning at Thalia Mara would have been fixed any sooner.
“Purchasing an AC for a building the size of Thalia Mara is a process. (You can’t just buy one off the shelf at a store.),” Director of Communications Melissa Faith Payne said. “We’ve been working with engineers to ensure that they [purchase/create] the best unit for the facility.”
On Tuesday, the council approved amending an existing contract with CDFL to oversee renovations at Thalia Mara, the firm that provided consulting services on the first phase of renovations back in 2023.
[READ: Minor facelift on tap for Thalia Mara ahead of USA IBC]
According to a scope of work CDFL provided to the council, phase two will include replacing the air conditioner chiller, removing the facility’s escalator, repairing the elevator, addressing plumbing concerns, and drawing up designs to update the rigging.
Thalia Mara Phase Two Repairs:
- Air conditioning chiller replacement – $1,450,000
- Escalator replacement with stairs – $78,000
- Existing elevator repair – $40,000
- Plumbing repair – $20,000
- Addition of a second elevator for ADA compliance – $200,000
CDFL states design costs for the rigging could go up once a separate group of consultants completes an evaluation of the system. The preliminary budget for rigging improvements is around $1 million.
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