Thursday, August 1, 2024

Should Thalia Mara Hall Shut Down? (Updated)

What exactly is wrong with Thalia Mara Hall?


Update: The city of Jackson issued the following statement. 

Thalia Mara Hall is now in a scheduled dark period to address a recent issue discovered within the building. During this period, mitigation crews will be removing early microbial activity that was found following a recent malfunction with the HVAC controller.

 

Thalia Mara is a government building and is subject to stringent standards. Therefore, the decision to perform this work was made promptly upon discovery of the issue. The scheduled downtime will allow experts to safely and thoroughly remediate the affected areas, ensuring the health and safety of all patrons and staff. This effort is a demonstration of our commitment to maintaining a safe and welcoming environment at Thalia Mara Hall.

 

We appreciate the public’s understanding and patience as we work diligently to resolve the matter. The health and safety of our community is our top priority, and we are taking every step necessary to address and rectify the situation as quickly as possible.

 

This scheduled dark period may be extended until the situation is completely remedied. We have no further information at this time, but will provide updates on the progress of the remediation and any impact on scheduled events as necessary.

 

64 comments:

Anonymous said...

No one has a wet rag?

Anonymous said...

They need to get this fixed. People actually USE this place, and OFTEN

Honk for the Mayor! said...

arcusmanufacturing.com
This would solve the problem if it were used regularly.

Anonymous said...

If you don't keep the air on at least 78 degrees you will have mold. You can't turn it off like some buildings were done during Covid. Your not saving much money and avoiding headaches.

Anonymous said...

Went to graduation ceremony a couple of weeks ago. Basically no A/C. TM used to be a great place for events but as stated, in disrepair. No one in charge . No one cares. Finger pointing will start but we all know who’s in (not) charge.

Anonymous said...

Is there any part of the city that Chalkline hasn't allowed to collapse while he awaits Bennie's retirement? Traffic signals, animal control, faded-out street lane markings (on High Street specifically, the gateway to downtown), almost impassable "Medical Mile." What a disgrace. Kim Wade for mayor!

Sarcasm Sam said...

This is another example of the unintended consequences of gun shows, open carry, white flight, and DJT, right?

Anonymous said...

Wasn't Thalia Mara recently awarded either funds from some of the Covid related federal legislation or maybe was it funds from the State?

If so, what happened to the money?

Anonymous said...

It looks like someone hasn't been running the A/C.

Anonymous said...

Noooo it should NOT shut down. Needs a source analysis, deep clean, AC, and a City that cares!

Anonymous said...

Just the revitalization of Jackson. Nothing to see here, move along.

Anonymous said...

We need a new place for the arts; perhaps in Madison or Rankin counties as well as a new airport away from the old one

Anonymous said...

I think Jackson should spend $1,000,000 or so on a study to determine what the problem is, what caused it, and what can be done about it. If that doesn’t solve the problem certainly another study or two will satisfy the mayor and city leaders.

Anonymous said...

@2:26, Big bucks Bennie will lie in state at the rotunda upon his death…he’s not giving up nuttin.
What does his district have to show for his time in office?

fed up in Jackson said...

was there for a graduation in May. Trash on the steps outside. Fountains not operational. Homeless persons bed set up on the east side of the building around the corner from the main entry.

Just like the libraries, traffic lights, streets, storm sewer, water system, sanitary sewer system, streets, etc.....minimal maintenance and upkeep are not being provided, and my thought in May was that they had not been provided for some time.

Anonymous said...

Socrates Garrett will receive $500,000+ to study the problem. Right?

Anonymous said...

Its in Jackson. Jackson leadership couldn't manage a greased pig contest. Enough said.

Anonymous said...

The cargo cult in charge doesn't actually know how to maintain a building they just know how to act like they maintain a building.

Anonymous said...

Will the last person to leave Jackson(istan) please turn off the lights? (Not the traffic lights as they don't work).

Anonymous said...

Libraries? We don't need no stinkin' AC.
TMH? We don't need no stinkin' AC.

Right?

Anonymous said...

Can someone ask Ted Henifin if he wants to add "property management" to his resume? Clearly the Department of Human and Cultural Services isn't able to handle these responsibilities.

Does no one from the City check on the building at all between events or perform preventative maintenance? In February, the elevator was out of service when a Broadway show came to town. Unacceptable. We don't need one more reason for national acts to avoid booking performances in Jackson or for local groups to book event space elsewhere.

Would love to know what the $1 million allocated from the state has been/is being spent on, and what the City has invested in maintenance and improvements over this administration's tenure as compared to previous administrations. The below article from May says the money from the state will be spent on replacing chillers and the HVAC system. Has this been done yet? I would not be surprised if upcoming performances set to bring in much needed revenue to the city are forced to cancel due to this.

https://www.wapt.com/article/mississippi-appropriations-bill-money-going-to-cities-counties/60804577

Anonymous said...

The city took years to learn how to do a simple garbage contract. Isn’t this expecting too much too soon?

Anonymous said...

Does the International Ballet Competition still come to Jackson? Serious question, and if they do, please tell me how they put up with this shitshow.

Anonymous said...

“As Jackson turns…” why, why, why, do the citizens of Jackson have to endure this total mis- management of our States Capitol City?

Anonymous said...

Can somebody tell me one thing Jackson city government is competent in? One-just give me one. It’s imperative that the citizens fire the mayor next election. I never thought I would miss Harvey Johnson or Frank Melton, but here we are.

Anonymous said...

This is a well established scheme. Let Thalia Mara Hall rot and then ask for money to fix it. Skim money off the refurbish/remodel. The missing part of the equation is who will pay? Rankin and Madison folks would rather build their own because they don’t want to be forced enter the Kush Kingdom.

Anonymous said...

Can Jackson literally maintain anything?

Anonymous said...

@ 5:25 because the citizens of Jackson elect inept leaders. Period.

Anonymous said...



Close it and the zoo.

Anonymous said...

WTF is a “dark period?” Who comes up with this $hit? Has to be gumflapper writing this utter garbage.

Anonymous said...

Who writes this crap? Anytime the city issues a statement saying "The health and safety of our community is our top priority" is a bald face lie. The city hasn't cared about safe drinking water, safe streets or public safety before. What makes anybody think all of a sudden it cares about mold-like growths at TMH? Just more jargon. Whatever this substance is, it has been growing for weeks or months but only now is being disclosed because it can't be hidden any longer.

Anonymous said...

Didn't Thalia Mara just undergo an extensive HVAC renovation? It's not just the temperature that inhibits mold growth, a constant relative humidity must also be maintained. And if humidity is excessive it could mean that there has been water intrusion. It's the Eudora Welty Library all over again...

anonymous said...

Wow .. please let this stop! Jackson!!!Tate step in or Shad whoever !!! Fix this !

Anonymous said...

If the city closes it, where will the rats, spiders, flies, and other pests have to move to.?

Anonymous said...

Won't be surprised when Joe has to cancel on the 10th.

Anonymous said...

Why not turn it over to the guy running SmithWills baseball stadium. He seems to be doing a nice job.

Anonymous said...

"The health of safety of our citizens is our number one priority."

Except when it's not.

Anonymous said...

This is the end of Broadway in Jackson isn’t it? Is there any way these incompetent fools get this fixed before the shows begin again in the Fall?

Steve said...

As I have posted on here numerous times……You get the government you deserve.

Anonymous said...

FUBAR! Ladumbass will run off the IBC.

Anonymous said...

So it turns there actually was mold growing in Thalia Mara?


Shocked-I tell you, I am shocked!

Anonymous said...

Glad I didnt get those Joe Bonamassa tickets lol

Anonymous said...



"The cargo cult in charge doesn't actually know how to maintain a building they just know how to act like they maintain a building." August 1, 2024 at 4:28 PM

Yes! A cargo Cult is precisely what it is. However, in a departure from Cargo Cult norms, they've tweaked their decoys, and instead of building models of the Great Metal Birds from Yankeeland, Jackson leaders now know that if they act pitiful-enough, for long-enough, the Big Silver Birds will, almost-automatically, bring money, money, and MONEY.

Too, this time, maybe, instead of bottled water, churches across America will send air conditioners and dehumidifiers. My only question, really, is: Will there be a MOLDY SEATS MONTH OF REMEMBRANCE, to commemorate this latest on-purpose crisis?

Anonymous said...

Q: Can’t these dipshits do anything right? A: No!

Anonymous said...

When will Jackson go into receivership!?

Everything they touch is broken.

Anonymous said...

Jackson just hired an engineer from Waggonner for $700,000.

Maybe the engineer can buy 2 cans of Lysol and the flushable wipes from Costco and take care of the problem this weekend.

Joe B. may be able to play as scheduled.

Anonymous said...

If what is past is prologue Mayor Cheap Fake will shortly announce that Thalia Mara is old and needs to be replaced with a new building.

Anonymous said...

The so-called “art” (graffiti) on the east wall of the Arts Center, highly visible as one faces the north entry of Thalia Mara, is a symbol of the decline of Jackson. When a culture lets street trash deface public buildings and calls it “art” with a straight face, is it any wonder that the building systems in those very buildings are allowed to decline along with good taste and common sense?

It’s not just the lack of character and competence of the people now in charge that is the problem, it’s the lack of moral courage by those formerly in charge to call a spade a spade. Meanwhile, Millions are being spent on an adjacent public building that will also not be maintained and will eventually decline and be demolished along with everything else going to seed in this formerly prosperous city.

Anonymous said...

Lumumba has delivered on being a Radical City yet again!

Anonymous said...

The play here is obvious, y’all:
1. None of Lumumba’s base has been in Thalia Mara in the last 20 years, if ever, so...
2. The city spends no money on TM and lets it fall into disrepair, which…
3. Stirs up the Whites who actually care about cultural events in Jackson and worry about losing the IBC, et al. and…
4. When everyone realizes TM is a shit-mess and these events are going to leave, the Whites call on the state to step up with funding (as usual) to make the necessary repairs to keep these cultural events coming to the state.

(You don’t need anyone to explain the consulting and minority contracting grifts that are included in the project so the usual suspects don’t use the — *clutches pearls* — “R” word.)

Anonymous said...

Blah blah blah - Madison / Rankin County trolls hate Jackson and woke up grumpy - blah blah blah my property value blah blah blah. Same old shit.

Anonymous said...

If the State would again let Jackson keep the property and sales tax it generates, maintenance of streets and buildings would be systematic and not crisis management.

And, in the " good old days" Jackson profited from the water system and garbage system the city owned and from sales and property taxes. State government in the past acted to improve Jackson knowing that events in Jackson, including the State Fair and other fairground activities boosted the entire state's economy.

Now those dollars are sent to Hattiesburg and Flowood...driven around Hattiesburg and Flowood lately? The streets paved and the developers are rewarded. The "new" campus buildings and renovations at Southern are stunning.

Anonymous said...

"WTF is a “dark period?” Who comes up with this $hit? Has to be gumflapper writing this utter garbage. Aug. 1 at 7:29"

When a theater is closed it is "dark". Theatres go dark during production periods, when the next show is in preparation, for renovations, etc. Dark means that the whole theatre is closed to the public – no lights, no shows.

Anonymous said...

Pissst….I googled “microbial activity “… it is fungi, bacteria and or MOLD…the truth must be told!

Anonymous said...

Agree with 2:46pm

What happened to the money?
And who is running the mold report? Just look at the pictures. THAT is MOLD!

Let’s not forget the elevator and escalators don’t work either!

Anonymous said...

I’m convinced by Steve. Painful as it is, everyone (at least in the USA) gets the government they deserve. Applies at every level of government.

Anonymous said...

First throw out that office chair. That could be the main source for the growth.

Anonymous said...

"If what is past is prologue Mayor Cheap Fake will shortly announce that Thalia Mara is old and needs to be replaced with a new building." August 1, 2024 at 10:51 PM

Exactly! That's how Mayor CheapFake's Cargo Cult rolls: DELIBERATELY allow things to fall-apart. This PITIFUL ACT will summon the Great Silver Birds from Yankeeland, which will bring (instead of the cigarettes and chewing gum craved by the original Cargo Cult), grants and appropriations and all manner of other monies (along with some experts who actually have good sense, and who will get things built and running, again - temporarily - until it's time to once-again summon the Great Silver Birds from Yankeeland).

If this were a Disney movie, this is where we'd have lions singing about the Circle of Life...

Anonymous said...

@8:13 - sounds about right but some will care when Kevin Hart gets cancelled in September

Anonymous said...

Re: the Update...The spin doctor has spoken.

Anonymous said...

@11:41 AM
It’s a shame that Tyler Perry doesn’t tour any more. I saw his Farewell Tour as Madea at Thalia Mara Hall back in 2019. I’m not a fan but my wife is. He’s a fellow Trekker so I didn’t mind supporting his act the one time. At that final performance he mentioned how Jackson was one of his biggest supporters and how he will always remember performing at Thalia Mara Hall for nearly 20 years. I was reminded of the old commercials for his plays on Fox 40 and WLBT back in the day before he really took off mainstream.

Anonymous said...

The arts, a venue for the arts and support of the arts are all irrelevant and immaterial. The mayor's only interest is in how he will personally and financially benefit from its existence.

Anonymous said...

Where else outside of Jackson is it safe to hold Broadway plays or other arts events? Also, has the IBF been notified of the situation? They may need time to find a new place and we need time to change our name to THE NEXT DETROIT

Anonymous said...

6:51, Jackson passed 'Next Detroit' status, years ago - decades ago, maybe. Today, Jackson could be billed as, "Detroit's Shrunken Head".

Jackson's like Detroit - only littler and uglier.

Oh, and by law, the IBC MUST be held in Jackson. IBC has enormous value for Mississippi (a big positive, for attracting businesses to the metro), and it's a shame that it's being allowed to die. Then again,IBC's a holdover from a time when Jacksonians worked hard, to make things better. People like that, aren't welcome in Jackson, anymore, and I suppose that their institutions are deliberately being DEMOLISHED-BY-NEGLECT.


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