The manager of Thalia Mara Hall has been screaming for help for over a year as the auditorium deteriorated but to no avail. WLBT reported Friday:
The manager of Thalia Mara Hall is speaking out about conditions at the facility, saying she’s been sounding the alarm with city officials for months. “The next thing to happen is someone’s going to get hurt or worse,” said Angie Ladner, division manager of the Municipal Auditorium. Ladner spoke with WLBT Friday as she was driving out of town. She says she’s been trying to warn city officials about problems for months, sending “9-1-1 emails” on everything from the sinking orchestra pit to the broken elevator. “No internet, no elevator. We didn’t have an elevator this entire year. We had no ADA access,” she said. “I’m screaming at the top of my lungs, emailing weekly reports, everything. But meanwhile, we’re slammed. We were in the middle of symphony season, Broadway. We were slammed all year.” One of those “reports” was sent on October 22, 2023, where Ladner warned city officials about the orchestra pit, which was on the verge of collapse and leaking hydraulic fluid. “The pit is not stable and is in great need of attention, as people are constantly using it,” Ladner wrote. “The fluid that is leaking is seeping into the ground, causing the ground (concrete) underneath the pit to stay soft.” Human and Cultural Services Director Pamela Scott responded to that email, saying it was very concerning and that she was open to a walk-through, as well as any ideas Ladner had to address her concerns. “We can see what resources there are available... to address what we can as we work to identify outside resources,” Scott wrote. (KF: Nice use of bureaucratese).....Of course, the Lumumba crowd weren't too pleased on Ladner's speaking truth to power:
Ladner says she’s faced a growing backlash for raising concerns about the theater. She’s currently been moved from Thalia Mara to a “cubicle” at North State Street.She says the city told her the move was made because of the mold. However, she says no fungal growth was found where her office was located. Ladner also is facing disciplinary action for not clocking in, even though she says she is supposed to be salaried. Additionally, she was questioned by at least one member of the mayor’s staff for attending a council meeting where Thalia Mara was discussed. Rest of article.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba is supposed to address the Thalia Mara shutdown tomorrow.
Kingfish note: Let's see. The city allowed libraries to crumble and lost 30,000 books to mold. Traffic lights don't work because maintenance was not performed. The city did not hire employees nor purchase much-needed parts for the water plants. The Jackson Zoo shut down for a year. No garbage service for several weeks. Sewage running through the streets. Now the auditorium is forced to close because the city did not fix the HVAC system.
Just curious: Was the air conditioning system at Thalia Mara Hall turned off between events? Inquiring minds want to know.
32 comments:
Another Chokwe failure. Let’s add it to the list.
Piss poor city management
Time for a public records request for the electric bills for Thalia Mara. Go back three or four years.
You forgot the takeover of the police department and the near-takeover of the school system (curse you, Feel Bryant!)
The only thing lacking from this clown show is a hurdy gurdy.
The #1 problem issue I see is that this is a white folks’ building, named after a white woman, carrying mostly white folk entertainment. Low priority in the land of kush
add the Airport to the list- escalator still out of service and the one that is working sounds like it is going to quit at any moment- terminal restrooms closed- exit parking pay process is "unmanned"-If the State doesn't take this asset over, it will certainly be "another one that bites the dust"...thanks to Chockalot's incompetent administration!
About the only thing that hasn't broken...yet...is the fire department.
Shock-Way supporters don't want any arts-
“The fluid that is leaking is seeping into the ground, causing the ground (concrete) underneath the pit to stay soft.”
Does this mean that the hydraulic fluid is degrading/weakening the concrete itself? Or is the leaking fluid causing the concrete to sink, due to fluid-saturated ground beneath it? Do soil particles remain in a permanent state of suspension, when saturated with the fluid? ...basically like permanent quicksand?
Time to unseal the federal sealed indictments for Mississippi (and everywhere else.) I keep seeing you voted for this so you deserve this. What a joke. Wake up people.
I don't see what the Presidential race has to do with this post so I'm not approving any comments with Harris or Trump.
Can Hennepin include this in his water/sewer work?
Also the Greater Jackson Art Council next door. New director has siphoned off all the money. Place is complete disaster , we supplied phone service and they were months behind till we turned them off.
Nothing really to say. We all expected this, and it will continue. Oh well.
You know you’re doing right when they move you out your office to a cubicle. Keep up the good fight lady.
I don't get it, where is all of the tax money going? People pay taxes that pay for services such as this venue, yet the services continue to dwindle, and taxes continue to go up. At some point, that question should be asked by someone with some type of actual authority.
Covering for Harris, huh? Nice.
“This is an example of Jackson’s rising reputation as a radical city doing incredible things,” said Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba. “In selecting us, the National Fitness Campaign saw a real commitment to arts and wellness infrastructure, a wide set of stakeholders who could work together quickly and an exceptional public space for what will ultimately be a jewel for the City.”
https://jxn.ms/fitnesscourt/
What can we do? When is re-election? Next year? Can you start helping us getting to know the alternative candidates?
I drove by the Keith Haring Fitness Court by accident (because it’s in a really remote spot) for the first time two weeks ago. It was deserted.
It's no different than when you save money by not changing the oil in your new car for a few years!
Anyone but Chokwe (but pleeeeeeaaaaaaasssssseeeee let the feds arrest him soon.)
Jackson is in DESPERATE need of a no nonsense Mayor ..... Kim Wade is the obvious choice
As concerned citizens of Jackson, we could start attending the Council Meetings. I think the next one is on Sept. 10. I suspect some behavior would change if the people in charge realized they couldn't depend on the apathy of the citizens to enable them to continue to run roughshod over the taxpayers. Kingfish tries, but what can one man do? Then we just bitch on his blog. Do you really think the council gives a @#$% about anonymous people bitching on a blog? They need to see some citizen faces that will demand some accountability. A good first start would be to demand a full published audit by a qualified firm showing just where the tax dollars are going, not just by category, but by payee. Who is hired for city projects should depend on who can actually get the job done. If they are a minority firm, fine. If they are not a minority firm, fine. Just get it done and done right.
Did they take her red Swingline stapler when they moved her to a cubicle?
Proud of this lady for speaking up. She did the right thing.
What-de-fock? There was no school takeover. Not even close. Never considered. Feel knew it was political suicide, so he punted from the opposition's 6.
As an outsider who does not live in the beautiful state of Mississippi, can someone please tell me why the citizenry does not have more respect for their Capitol City? It is a complete mystery and tragedy. Mississippi, you deserve better.
I'm confused. Are you asking someone who does not live in Mississippi, to tell you about the citizenry's lack of respect for the Capitol City? That's how you've phrased it. At least, I THINK that's what you're trying to say.
I don't live in Mississippi, anymore, and so maybe I can answer your question. Mississippians are REALISTS. Respect for Jackson, would require extremes of IDEALISM needing more energy than Mississippians are willing to expend upon lost causes and contemptible entities. As things stand, Jackson has become what could be considered a contemptible entity (depending on how one defines 'Entity'). And Jackson is CERTAINLY a lost cause.
You are incorrect 5:15. Jackson, Mississippi gets exactly what it deserves. We all do. We elect leaders and then we tolerate them or we vote them out.
The lack of respect you sense is likely attributed to the maddening wish that the City-dwellers would stop accepting thieves and morons as leaders so we could safely enjoy the area as much as the criminals do.
Its hard to believe people are stupid enough to defend this idiot Mayor, but they do. Hence the disrespect you see.
And here come the personal attacks on the manager. Not approving it.
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