Title
Update on Council Referral Regarding Alameda Theatre Marquee Lighting. (Community Development 227)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Elizabeth D. Warmerdam, Interim City Manager
Re: Update on Council Referral Regarding the Alameda Theatre Marquee Lighting
BACKGROUND
On April 7, 2015, the Alameda City Council, through a Council Referral by Councilmember Daysog, directed staff to research ways to light-up the marquee of the historic Alameda Theatre, as well as ways to pay for its cost, including fundraising via voluntary contributions, public-private partnerships, or public financing.
DISCUSSION
The City of Alameda staff contacted Kyle Conner, the operator of the Alameda Theatre and Cineplex. Mr. Conner is receptive to lighting the marquee, but has not identified it as a priority for future theatre improvements. According to Mr. Conner, lighting the marquee would bring little or no additional revenue to the Theatre. Movies and show times are lighted on panels above the ticket booth and visible to patrons driving or walking in front of the Theatre (see attached picture).
Mr. Connor said that the existing marquee cannot be back-lit, like contemporary movie theatres or the Fox Theatre in Oakland. Instead, a panel, similar to the panels above the ticket booth, would need to be installed on the marquee. Mr. Conner has reached out to his lighting contractor to determine potential costs.
Mr. Connor's more immediate capital improvement concern is identifying a long-term solution to the foot traffic wear on the carpet in the lobby section by the concession stand and leading into the Cineplex. Mr. Connor estimates that the cost of replacing the carpet, which replicates the original carpet design, may cost between $50,000 and $100,000. The Friends of the Alameda Theatre, a non-profit organization created to support the restoration of the historic theatre, has a fund balance of $5,111.32.
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