| Town
Discusses Players' Lease |
By Anne DeCecco
Observer Staff Writer |
| The Town Council Tuesday night discussed the draft of a
lease that would allow the town to lease about 40 percent
of the building at 750 Center St. to the Elden Street Players.
|
| The theater group would use the space for the storage and
construction of sets and other theatrical equipment. Hands
Ink printing company, the previous renters of the building,
vacated the building in December when its lease ended. |
| The Elden Street Players have reached a preliminary agreement
with the town to rent the space for $1. In addition, the Department
of Parks and Recreation would be able to use the group's Industrial
Strength Theater in Sunset Business Park on eight dates in
2007. The dates for 2007 have already been agreed upon. For
every year thereafter, the town and the Elden Street Players
would reach an agreement on what dates the theater would be
used by the Department of Parks and Recreation. |
| If approved, the lease would be effective upon approval
through Dec. 31, 2010. Either party would be able to terminate
the lease at any point. The Elden Street Players would be
required to give 30 days notice before termination and the
town would have to give 90 days notice. |
| The lease will be discussed again at the public hearing
on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and the Town Council will then vote on
whether to approve it. |
| "I don't expect it to run into too much turbulence,"
said town manager Stephen Owen. "I think it's pretty
straightforward." |
| Owen said that the Players would use the back part of the
building and the side entrance on Vine Street. He said the
town would probably open an entryway on the side of the building
closest to the library and W&OD Trail for its own storage
use. The town may put up a partition to separate the two areas. |
| According to Richard Klare, executive producer for the Players,
the group had been renting the Industrial Strength Theater
and "backstage"—the storage space next door—from
the town, which was in turn renting the units on a month-to-month
basis from Atlantic Realty. |
| In August the company told the town and the Players that
it wanted to sell the units. After considering buying the
theater, the town decided not to do so and offered to provide
a grant to the Players in order to assist them in purchasing
the theater on their own, as well as the possibility of using
the Hands Ink building for storage. |
| "We're taking the town up on its gracious offer of
storage at the Hands Ink building," Klare said. "We're
very grateful for the offer." |
| The grant would be for the same value that the town had
been spending per year on renting the property, but its details
have not yet been determined, according to Klare. |
| Klare said the Elden Street Players formed a "friendly
company" with Herndon residents interested in keeping
the space for the Players. The Friends of Elden Street Players
was formed with investors who will purchase the theater and
rent it to the group at below-market value. |
| Klare said FESP will own the old backstage space as well
and rent it to other groups at market value. |
| In
other business, |
| ·Town attorney Richard Kaufman recommended that
the Town Council amend and update its ordinance that adopts
the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure
Act of 2002 guidelines. Kaufman will provide a draft of the
ordinance at the public hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 23. |
| ·Bob Boxer, director of Public Works, requested
that the Council consider awarding a contract to the Transportation
Planning and General Engineering Services in order to support
transportation studies and planning. |
| ·Boxer recommended that council award the contract
for the construction of multi-purpose shelters in Runnymede
Park to Rising Sun Inc. for $63,550. |
| ·Boxer recommended that council approve a report
to the Virginia Department of Transportation regarding several
streets in town, which will result in a $10,980 increase in
reimbursement to the town. |
| ·Kaufman and town manager Stephen Owen recommended
that council increase the fee paid to Deputy Town Attorney
Manuel A Capsalis for an increased workload of criminal prosecutions
of occupancy violations. The contract would change from $64,888
per year to $71,377 per year. |
| ·Arthur A. Anselane, director of Parks and Recreation,
recommended that council amend the rules and regulations of
Chestnut Grove Cemetery which would allow the town to consider
a request from VDOT that a cemetery be relocated to Chestnut
Grove due to a road construction project. |
