The theater figured prominently in morning discussions during council's retreat today at the Lake Gaston Chamber of Commerce, especially on Mayor Emery Doughtie's desire to again explore a sales tax referendum and in issues centering on the city coming up with a five-year capital improvement plan.
“One thing that contributes,” to not having a solid five-year plan, Councilman Carl Ferebee said, “is the theater.”
City Manager Joseph Scherer said he is in the process of securing a commercial real estate firm that can look at the building. Once one is located, he hopes such a firm can give the city an idea whether the venue can be sold or find someone that can help the city develop it as it was intended to be — part of an entertainment district that includes restaurants and retail shops.
Councilman Ernest Bobbitt said it comes down to a matter of getting the right person or group handling it. “There are some places like it that have a lot out there. I know the hotel stays busy.”
There are groups, Scherer said, that recruit retailers as well as survey and look for retail gaps. “We're hoping we can get a commercial retail group to do a study.”
Ferebee said there needs to be a proactive approach to the matter. “That's important. If we move forward we might have to squeeze a little more out to make it happen to free up or create some other dollars.”
Scherer believes a commercial real estate firm would be more effective.
“It's got to be a focus group saying we're doing this,” Ferebee said, “Like it was in the beginning — here's the focus group, it didn't quite work out, but they did it.”
Councilman Wayne Smith said the way conversions in the meeting were headed, it wouldn't hurt to have conversations with the majority property owners in the Carolina Crossroads Music and Entertainment District.
Greg Goddard, the CEO of the Upper Coastal Plain Development Corporation, who served as the facilitator of the meeting, said, “It would behoove you to do an assessment of what you've got. If it looks like it's something positive there, let them go talk to a Great Wolf Lodge. You've got to have some one professional that's in the market bidding for you.”
Seeking comment from Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Allen Purser, the chamber president said, “Getting the property owners together would be smart. Sometimes the value increases when there's interest and you know the owners want to sell what's out there. To me, there's no reason why there's not a convenience store or gas station out there.”
When it came to discussing capital projects, Doughtie said, “If in the next year or two, if we're able to market the theater and restructure the debt and if we can sell it and knew our payment was going to be a million or million-eight, we could spend that money on capital improvement. I don't think we'd have any issue.”
A surplus fund, Scherer said, could also mean a possible reserve fund to put some incentives in place for business and industry recruitment.
“It's still in the back of my mind,” Doughtie said, “I still haven't given up on having a sales tax referendum to pay the debt off.”
Doughtie believes that with anticipated changes coming up in the November county commissioner election it might be a good time to talk with the county about the matter. “I think it would advantageous for the whole county doing this. It would maybe entice them to come onboard. If people come together as a whole county, it could help us move people at the state level. It's real difficult for it to happen with a municipality. We didn't have any luck getting county commissioners on board the first time.”
Doughtie said it is possible the dynamics of the county commissioners will change after November. “There's a wide array of things I think we can address if we modify the financial situation. One thing that bothers me is when we called on the General Assembly to rid ourselves of this debt, they wouldn't let us help ourselves.”
The state legislature, in the beginning stages of the Carolina Crossroads development, Doughtie said, “Was involved in making this move forward. Now they won't let us do what we think is the best means of ridding ourselves of this obstacle.”
Goddard said he believes the city and county need to meet.
“I try hard to be an advocate of the city,” Doughtie said. “We don't want the county to feel it's us against them. I want the county to feel like they should use Roanoke Rapids as a tool. The way things are right now, retail development is going to be around the interstate. At some point the property will be developed. It will go from being a liability to an asset. We need to use the interstate as a resource.”
Doughtie said one of the reasons he advocated for the referendum on whether to impose a one-cent sales tax was as a way to loosen the tax burden on city residents and take advantage of retail money spent by those traveling the interstate. “If we could get the sales tax we could reduce the tax rate.”
Said Goddard: “I think the conversation needs to be happening with the city and commissioners so you could get on the fall 2015 election cycle.”
