“Our goal is to make it fair to the citizens”

In the aftermath of Monday’s city council meeting, more details of the Swan Theatre saga have come to light. On Monday, moviegoers and concerned citizens showed up in droves to support the theatre. Some supporters were assailing, while others more reserved, merely sought clarity.

On the surface, the situation is simple: Blue Ridge citizens want to keep the theatre open and the city wants to sort out the legalities of the theatre’s lease in order to establish a just business arrangement.

But, still, residents fear the theatre may soon close. They hear rumors from various sources, claiming the city threatens to sell or close the theatre. At Monday’s meeting, though, Mayor Donna Whitener explicitly stated that the city has no such plans and said that she only wants to do what’s fair for everyone. As such, on the other side of the issue, the city is obligated to clear up the theatre’s seemingly patchwork lease. The undercurrent of this is the city is responsible to do what is right and fair for the taxpayers.

During the meeting, Whitener assured the citizens,

“we’re not wanting to shut the drive-in down; that is not our goal. Our goal is to make it fair to the citizens…we want it to be fair; we want it to be accurate.” She said that the response from the local business community is, “How can you lease that for only $500 (a month)?”

By comparison, Whitener referred to a citizen who leases land in the city, with no buildings on it, for $1300 a month. The assumption, here, is that the operator of the theatre Steve Setser is paying below market value for his lease.

In a recent correspondence with FYN, Whitener explained that Setser has a land lease and was paying rent on the building to Helen Jones until December of last year, when Ms. Jones died. According to Whitener, following Jones’ death, the lease was signed over to Setser, who was previously the operator of the theatre. Then, before Setser’s initial lease was up, in 2009 a family member on the council pushed through a new lease that is allegedly valid until 2023, Whitener stated.

The other issue is insurance. According to Whitener, the city is paying the insurance for the theatre. During the meeting, though, Parks Commissioner Michael Eaton said that Setser was reimbursing the city for the cost of insurance. Whitener, however, said that she has not seen the receipts and that the reimbursements likely started after the claim to fix the screen was made.

But, tension even exists between council members. Eaton appears to champion signing the current agreement and moving on with the arrangement as is, that is, Setser paying $500 a month, while Street Commissioner Rhonda Thomas argues for further negotiations in order to establish a fair arrangement for both parties and the taxpayers. Thomas lamented Setser’s elusiveness, saying that he has not personally come to meet with the council to discuss the situation.

The situation forges a few questions.
1) Is the 2009 lease binding?
2) Should the city (via taxpayer money) pay the insurance on the theatre?
3) Why has Setser avoided speaking with the Mayor and council about the lease?

Mayor Whitener has agreed to an interview with FYN to discuss the matter and, we will report on the interview in the days and weeks to come.

Watch the Swan Drive-In Debate at the last City Council Meeting. Click on link below.

Swan Theatre Debate at Blue Ridge City Council Meeting