Sad news... Millburn Theater closing.

It was announced yesterday that the Rialto in Westfield is being purchased by a local arts group and will become a community arts center. Excellent news for one local downtown!

Heynj said:

It was announced yesterday that the Rialto in Westfield is being purchased by a local arts group and will become a community arts center. Excellent news for one local downtown!

 You know we already have three of those, right?  Four, when the Baird re-opens.

susan1014 said:

jimmurphy said:

yahooyahoo said:

Isn't SOPAC a partnership between South Orange and Seton Hall?  I don't think SOPAC will close (in general) unless S.O. decides to close it.

The performing arts center is run by SO with involvement by Seton Hall.  The movie theater operation on the first floor is run by a different entity.

It is even messier than that.  SOPAC is run by a nonprofit, which leases out the movie theaters, I believe. But due to decisions made a couple of decades ago, the village built before the non-profit was in place or fundraising seriously, and ended up holding the construction bonds.  So the facility, as valuable as it is to the community, is taxpayer guaranteed, but needs a healthy non-profit and a healthy theater leasee to keep the subsidy modest.  Seton Hall donated a million or so to improve the theater facilities, in return for the right to use for some time each year, but has no ongoing obligation. Hoping I got the details right!

susan1014 - South Orange Village assumed the $11 million outstanding indebtedness of SOPAC in 2013 and acquired owership of the building. At that time, the arrangement was that South Orange would begin receiving rents from the movies theaters beginning in 2018. It leases the performing arts portion of the building to SOPAC for $1 a year. 

Seton Hall agreed to "contribute" $50,000 a year for 20 years ($1 million) in exchange for use of the theater.

I believe the Seton Hall money was also contingent on design changes that created better facilities for plays (more greenroom facilities, etc).  Thanks for the clarification on how the debt transfer worked.  

South Orange is still contributing around $250,000 - 280,000 a year towards SOPAC's operating costs. The purpose of  transferring the $11 million debt from SOPAC to South Orange was so that SOPAC wouldn't have any debt on its books, since foundations, etc. don't want to give money to organizations to subsidize capital costs - they only want the money to be used for operating costs. This has been very successful, and SOPAC is now receving grants from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, among others. 

What happened with this at the Maplewood Theater?

joan_crystal said:

jimmurphy said:

Don’t think it has been mentioned here, but I read elsewhere that a liquor license has be transferred to Maplewood Theater. Sounds like the plan is to do something like the New Parkway Theater in Oakland.

Could be BIG!

It was announced during yesterday's TC meeting that two bids were received for the liquor license. The movie theater group's was the higher bid. The license has not yet been awarded to them since the approval process is not yet complete.

jimmurphy said:

 not sure, but I assume that's the liquor license they brought up on the last township committee meeting. Sounded like it hasn't been paid yet.