In response to transparency concerns from the public and local arts community, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba announced the creation of a tab on the city’s website dedicated to providing updates on repairs at the currently closed Thalia Mara Hall.
The tab can be viewed starting Thursday and will be updated on a weekly basis.
The latest update comes a little over a month after Thalia Mara Hall unexpectedly shut down after “microbial activity” was found following a malfunction with the HVAC system, according to an Aug. 1 city press release.
Since its closure, multiple organizations, including “Broadway in Jackson” and others, have voiced concerns over the lack of communication from the city regarding the repairs. Performances at the venue have had to be moved, or were canceled, among them the performance of comedian Kevin Hart scheduled for Sept. 22.
But Lumumba, speaking during a Monday press conference, quickly switched into defense mode, saying the city has “consistently made investments in Thalia Mara Hall.” The mayor, along with Mike Williams, Jackson’s deputy director of the Department of Human and Cultural Services, said there has been a “strategic plan” to update the venue “for over a year.”
“It is, as the mayor said, an aging building and unfortunately this emergency situation necessitated an emergency response,” Williams said. “We’re making sure the public is aware of the steps we are taking to respond to, again, what is an emergency. You don’t get to plan for those.”
Lumumba emphasized that Thalia Mara was built in the 1960s and keeping it updated is an “ongoing process.” He continued to defend the response to the situation at Thalia Mara, along with other “competing needs” the city faces.
“It wasn’t not done (repairs at Thalia Mara) for a lack of political will, right? What we find is that our needs exceed our means,” Lumumba said. “So when you’re in a circumstance where your needs exceed your means, then you have to find what is the highest priority that has to be dealt with in that time.”
The mayor also cited investments the city has made to the venue in the past year.
“Earlier this year, we invested in an emergency declaration for almost $65,000 ahead of the IBC (International Ballet Competition),” Lumumba said. “We made repairs to the exterior fountain, the exterior of the building was cleaned, the HVAC system was serviced. There were numerous concerns about the theater, however, we already have an architectural firm that has been involved in all of these matters.”
In addition, the city released the “Indoor Air Quality Assessment” report, the mayor said. The report, conducted by CTEH – Environmental and Scientific Consulting Services, shows three different molds were found at the venue, as well recommendations for next steps for remediation.
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Lumumba also denied “rumors” that the city was turning off the air at Thalia Mara Hall on the weekends.
“That is not what took place. There was a malfunction of the air conditioning system on a weekend when no one was present,” he said. “Literally, the following week when the issue was discovered, that’s when it came apparent not only to us, but it was publicized to the media and everyone else. It was not that it was neglected.”
Here are a few updates to the repairs at Thalia Mara, according to Lumumba:
- Testing of the venue’s rigging system and fire curtain by an engineering firm have been scheduled.
- Testing of the hydraulics by the orchestra pit is scheduled.
- Design work for a new elevator is being reviewed, though the venue’s main elevator service has been restored.
- All workers have been removed from Thalia Mara due to the “microbial fibers in the building.”
- Construction crews working on the Russell C. Planetarium disconnected the internet access to Thalia Mara, but it has since been restored after work was completed.
- Part of $1 million allocated earlier this year by the Mississippi Legislature will be used to replace the venue’s HVAC system.
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Lumumba also said that approximately five toilets out of “dozens” in the venue are currently not working, but those plumbing issues are being worked on as part of the renovation.
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