The reopening of Thalia Mara Hall, the downtown venue that has been closed for six months due to mold and other issues, has been delayed, according to a press release by the City of Jackson on Wednesday.
The venue, which was built in the 1960s, was originally slated to reopen on Jan. 18 after months of repairs and mold mitigation. Now, the city plans to reopen Thalia Mara “next week” but doesn’t give an exact date.
During a Monday press conference, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the venue would reopen on Jan. 18 unless there were “any unforeseen or unimagined challenges.” Two days later, those challenges arrived.
The reason for the delay has to do with recent air tests coming back “positive in some areas and negative in others,” as well as a “major pipe” that needs to be replaced. The state fire marshal also needs to conduct a visit.
“One area of particular concern is the foyer/lobby. Thus, the recommendation was made to fumigate those areas. The fumigation requires that nobody be in the building. It also means all work stops for two days,” the press release states.
Fumigation begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday and is expected to be completed this afternoon. Additional air quality tests will also be conducted afterward. If the results are favorable, crews can continuing rehabbing the venue. The crews plan to work through the weekend and MLK holiday, according to the press release.
Additionally, a “major pipe” needs to be replaced, with an estimated cost of approximately $19,000. Proposals are being gathered to replace the pipe and a purchase order is being done “immediately to prevent any further delays.”
The fumigation began at 3 p.m. Wednesday and is expected to be completed that afternoon. Additional air quality tests will be done afterward. If the results are favorable, work can resume Wednesday afternoon. The lost work time obviously has an impact on the completion date. Still, crews plan to work through the weekend and MLK holiday.
“While we were hopeful to reopen Thalia this Friday, that was always the most optimistic projection,” Lumumba said in the press release. “Given the circumstances and underlying importance of adhering to strict public health and safety requirements, we understand the delay and look forward to the reopening very soon.”
The reopening of Thalia Mara has been a long, drawn-out saga ever since the city unexpectedly announced its closure on Aug. 1 due to the finding of mold. After the mold, other issues at the venue popped up that needed to be fixed, such as faulty elevators, a broken HVAC and repairs to the venue’s rigging system, among others.
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