No bids were submitted to buy the Roanoke Rapids Theatre, City Manager Kelly Traynham confirmed today.

A bid opening was scheduled this afternoon at 12:30 but none were received.

Traynham said it would be her recommendation and she believes it would be appropriate for the city to contact a real estate firm for the marketing and sale of the venue. The city has also used a bid process in the past.

Asked whether she was surprised no bids were received, the city manager said, “I know there had been some interest in the building.”

In July the council opted out of going through an outright foreclosure proceeding and instead went with receiving the deed of trust in lieu of the foreclosure which ended up putting the building back into the city’s ownership.

Last month the council chose to go through the sealed bid process to sell the theater.

Those actions came as G&T Holdings, which is made up of Thomas and Evon McLean,was declared to be in default on their balloon payment to the city. 

The original agreement the city had with G&T was that they make monthly payments. Then about two or three years ago they were supposed to make a balloon payment to pay off everything that was owed on the theater and the interest.