Engineer: Fire curtain wont' be installed until April
Thalia Mara Hall may not be opening anytime soon after it flunked the State Fire Marshal's inspection yesterday. Insurance Commish Mike Chaney issued the following statement:
The State Fire Marshal's Office (SFMO) conducted a follow-up walkthrough at Thalia Mara Hall on Thursday, January 30, 2025, and determined that the building did not meet standards to reopen. While some fire safety issues have been fixed other issues are still being addressed. For example, fire curtains have not been installed; maintenance and inspection paperwork was not available for the elevator and escalators; the fire alarm system is showing trouble and there’s no timeline on when it may be fixed; the sprinkler system needs to be inspected and tested; and fire suppression tools need to be properly tagged. When the City of Jackson (COJ) has addressed these safety concerns another walkthrough will be scheduled. The State Fire Marshal's Office is committed to working with City of Jackson officials to protect the health and safety of the public and important cultural structures like Thalia Mara Hall.
The inspection report is posted below complete with notes and a whole bunch of pretty pictures. The pictures show expired fire extinguishers with expired tags, numerous extension cords, obstructed fire exits, and a problematic main breaker (p.14). The reports provides the following findings:
* The fire alarm panel showed several trouble codes
* Fire extinguishers need to be mounted on the wall
* Electrical outlets need replacing
* The outdoors FDC connection was not labeled
* Sprinkler heads need to be lower
* Breakers missing from main electrical box.
* The fire curtain has not been replaced.
The auditorium failed the fire inspection in September. JJ reported the Fire Marshal's findings on September 13, 2024:
* Using extension cords in place of permanent wiring
* Fire alarm panel displayed several codes
* Open junction boxes and open-wiring splices
* Electrical outlets need replacing
* Multiple fire extinguishers out of date
* Exit doors from main seating area blocked with chairs
* Shelves and chairs block exit doors
* Combustibles stored around flammable storage locker
* breakers missing from electrical box
* Fire curtain does not have documentation of annual inspection to verify it has been inspected and maintain.
These are the same deficiencies the Fire Marshal reported yesterday. Did the city even try to pass the fire inspection?
There is also the matter of the infamous fire curtain. The September inspection found the fire curtain had not been inspected and maintained over the years. It also contained asbestos, thus requiring replacement. Yesterday's inspection reported it had not been replaced.
This deficiency is a big one and will probably keep the auditorium from opening for several months, not weeks. "Third-party engineer" Emad Al-Turk said at a January 17 press conference the fire curtain will arrive in "April or May. Watch for yourself.
The Fire Marshal will not allow the auditorium to reopen until the fire curtain is replaced. Period. If the fire curtain is not replaced until April, well, readers can figure it out.
Kingfish note: Libraries, water plants, the auditorium. Same story, different places. Can these people do anything right? If anyone thinks the State Fire Marshal is picking on poor ole Jackson, well, there is a reason such fire codes exist:
25 comments:
And now the day arrives to see what Lumumba does to wear the crown yet again.
I absolutely support having fire safety standards. I do have to ask if the fire inspector had given a list in advance to the city council or mayor of all that was required including the specs. I also wonder how many state buildings couldn't pass a fire inspection today due to ' sprinklers being two low" or having fabric that is not fire retardant or satisfactory electrical outlets. Indeed, I suspect even the Governor's mansion would have some issues.
Sad part is most of those deficiencies could be corrected with a couple of days worth of elbow grease. However, the fire curtain is a big deal.
The people in charge of the repairs are not just inept, they’re STUPOD. Apparently, no one told them what needed to be done, so they did nothing.
Emad Al Turk should be asked to comment on the Fire Marshal's report. And explain why, in his opinion, the report and conclusion are wrong, if that is his opinion. No one should give two $h!+s for what the disgraced soon-to-be-incarcerated mayor thinks about the report.
A shame Tony Davis isn't around. he would be going OFF!
39 page inspection report completed same day. Maybe Antard should hire Chaney's office to help him complete his campaign finance reports from 4 years ago.
How much was the Turk paid to guide TM back to operational status? HELLO, City Council!
I can tell you what else someone needs to be looking into. We all know the claims issues and insurance coverage issue that was brought to light a few years ago. With the property insurance market in Mississippi at the moment, and the way these carrier inspections are going, there is a good chance that these city buildings are not covered, or have coverages reduced because of their condition. You can take that to the bank. Per the Bottrell agent's interview at the time the city was not responding to inspection recommendations. I can't believe that has gotten any better.
In an article posted about TMH about 2 months back, I commented that the opening would be January 2026. I'll stand on that.
I still don't see Northeast Jackson protesting or refusing service to the mayor and his entourage at restaurants. They must enjoy being complicit in funding this circus. If you are going to whine on TV about the conditions in the city impacting your business I better not see the mayor seated in your establishment if you want my dollars.
Ooops!
Damn Fire Trap! Thanks, Jackson Fire Dept. for keeping it closed!
If recreating the squalor and incompetence of a Communist Banana Republic was Antards goal, he accomplished it bigly!
Of course the mayor lied about opening, he always feels entitled to fairy dusting his remarks. But he had to have known all these Thalia Mara deficiencies could not be cured within his stupid timeframe. What could he hope to achieve with such blatant lies? How could he benefit?
Meanwhile, his deadline for filing has cometh. I think Lil Choke will not file his Campaign records because they would contain quid-pro-quo evidence the Feds can hang him with. We may not have Lamumba in our future ever again. He won't even be able to pull weeds orshovel bear crap at his beloved, albeit blighted zoo, after guilty verdict and sentencing.
"I still don't see Northeast Jackson protesting or refusing service to the mayor and his entourage at restaurants."
Restaurants aren't in the business of refusing service of make political statements. The idea of "total war" politics has got to go.
Chokwe is so arrogant he'll file for reelection without the campaign reports.
Now Antard wants to give 6 lackeys staffing his shop as department heads a +21.5% raise as he realizes his exit is near.
Reading a punch list correctly is the new flex
Is anyone surprised at this? Including the mayor? All of the other issues aside, there is no way he thought the building would pass inspection without a fire curtain after the lack of fire curtain inspection was already included in the fire marshal's report from September (https://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2024/09/fire-marshal-finds-22-code-violations.html).
Did he think removing the fire curtain because it (shocker) didn't pass said inspection would solve the issue? I assume he plans to blame the state fire marshal for the delay now? He's a joke.
January 31, 2025 at 11:05 AM
"Total war politics" will abate when the Mayor stops inflicting "total war kush" upon the city.
This reflects the same kind of maintenance regimen as the water treatment plants. Ignore issues and don't purchase parts while claiming that everything is just fine.
@11:05 What's political about not wanting to sit by a lying grifter?
Is there a worse run city anywhere near the size of Jackson in the country? If so, who?
I'm not approving your comments. Trump has NOTHING to do with this post so quit trying to interject him into everything. You are simply wasting your time.
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