Questions arise about Park Theater contents
Confusion about who owns old materials left at the Park Theater surfaced on Friday, but the city official who came under fire for taking some items said there’s nothing to hide.
An elected official contacted the Southern Standard to report that complaints had been made from citizens who said Alderman Jimmy Bonner had been seen late Monday loading his truck with items from the Park Theater.
When contacted about the issue, Bonner admitted taking some of the items, but said he was given permission to take the materials by former building owner Jerry Williamson, who sold the theater to the city.
City leaders reported Monday at a meeting that they officially owned the theater, though they could not immediately recall exactly when the deal was finalized.
Bonner said he was given a key by Williamson about two weeks ago and hired someone to haul away some old electrical items located under the floor. He said the person he hired took the rest of the items away Monday, and that’s what people saw.
Williamson was unavailable for comment Friday, but his spouse, Linda Williamson, said the items given to Bonner were personal items not in any way related to the Park Theater. History buffs are interested in learning about what is contained in the basement, although some officials reported there wasn’t anything of value in the basement, which is currently unlit.
Williamson said Friday there were items such as PVC pipes, old flower pots and other “junk” in the crawl space under the floor (not the basement) and verified her husband said Bonner could have them.
“Somebody’s just getting their wires mixed up,” Williamson said.
Who is allowed to have access to the building is another issue that came up earlier in the week, when Park Theater Group members said they would like to hold a clean up day there to prepare for Fourth of July festivities downtown.
Group members were planning to open doors and possibly show a videotaped movie on the Fourth, but are not able to gain access to the building temporarily.
At Monday’s Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting, officials learned there were several keys needed to get in the building and discussed exactly who had the keys. They also addressed safety and liability concerns.
Following up on Monday’s committee concerns, City Administrator Herb Llewellyn said Friday the locks at Park Theater had been changed Friday morning to narrow the keys down to one key. Additionally, he said an electrical inspector is planned to inspect the building tomorrow to ensure safety.
There was some discussion about the city’s need to formulate a written operating agreement with the Park Theater Group, but nothing was done Monday.
The change in locks was not linked to the materials that Williamson confirmed Bonner was given permission to take, but related to the discussions at Monday’s committee meeting, where officials discussed the safety and liability issues.