Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the ongoing repairs of Thalia Mara Hall, the historic downtown venue that has been closed since August, should be completed by January.
Thalia Mara’s repairs have been a long, drawn out saga since the city unexpectedly announced on Aug. 1 that the theater would be closed after mold was found. Since then, the city and Lumumba have been criticized for neglecting the theater, something the mayor has denied. Multiple organizations, including “Broadway in Jackson” which cancelled six scheduled shows this year and moved another to the Mississippi Coliseum, have voiced concerns over the lack of communication from the city regarding the repairs.
In response, a tab was created on the city’s website with the promise of weekly updates on how repairs are going. But the last time an update was given was the week of Nov. 7.
Additionally, the director of Thalia Mara Hall, Angie Ladner, resigned from her position in mid-November. Ladner held the position for just over a year, starting in June 2023.
Thalia Mara is expected to reopen on Jan. 18, according to city officials. During Wednesday’s press conference, Lumumba said repairs are “still on track,” including the mitigation of the mold and cleaning of the HVAC system.
More specifically, he said:
- The encapsulation of the theater is 30% complete.
- The HVAC cleaning is 25% complete and the HVAC encapsulation started on Monday.
- The venue’s lobby mitigation is 80% complete.
- The office area mitigation is 90% complete.
- The theater mitigation is 20% complete.
When asked what the “encapsulation of the theater means,” Lumumba admitted he didn’t know.
“I don’t know, I have no idea, I just read what they told me. I don’t know, I’m not a contractor,” Lumumba said. “That’s a part of the process. I know what encapsulation means in other regards, but I can’t speak precisely to that work within this. It’s part of the mitigation process, and we can get more specifics.”
The theater was closed after the HVAC system failed over a rainy weekend at the beginning of August, with humid conditions creating mold throughout the theater. But since its closure, the city has taken the opportunity to not only remediate the mold but also fix other lingering issues such as replacing the broken HVAC system, testing of the venue’s rigging system and fire curtain and designing a new elevator.
Driving by Thalia Mara, residents will see yellow tape, such as those used in crime scene investigations, surrounding the outside of the theater. The front doors have also been sealed off. The Clarion Ledger attempted to talk to some of the construction workers on Wednesday for further explanation on the repairs but was told that all communication had to go through the city.
After Wednesday’s press conference, Jackson Spokesperson Melissa Payne could not be reached for further clarification.
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