Council seeks public input on new Colonial contract at meeting April 27

LACONIA — Councilors will hold a public hearing regarding a new contract between the city and Spectacle Live, the company tasked with operating the Colonial Theatre.  

The public hearing is scheduled for Monday, April 27, at City Hall downtown.

Spectacle Live operates theaters throughout New England, often in partnership with a town or city, as is the case in Laconia. They’ve operated the Colonial Theatre since its reopening in 2021, following an extensive restoration effort, resurrecting the turn-of-the-century performance venue. 

The existing 5.5-year contract between the city and Spectacle will expire on June 30. In late 2025, the city published a request for proposals on two occasions, and Spectacle was the only respondent to satisfy the criteria.  

Representatives of the city and the company have since engaged in conversations regarding a renewed contract. The council’s finance subcommittee met on April 2, and discussed a proposed contract.

The draft contract, discussed by councilors at their meeting on April 13, would result in a first-year operating subsidy of $166,935, with 3% increases for each additional year of the contract. 

The term of the proposed agreement is two years, beginning July 1, and ending June 30, 2028. The agreement would have three, automatic one-year extensions, unless councilors vote to end the agreement.

Based on a 2016 memorandum of understanding, the Laconia Public Library will have 12 days of use per year, with no more than two Thursdays or Sundays, and two Fridays or Saturdays, with no two Fridays or Saturdays falling in the same month. 

“I want to say thank you, particularly to our liaison to [the] city council, [Ward 5] Councilor [Steven] Bogert, for keeping us in the loop on the negotiations with Spectacle [Management Inc], and thank you all for the conversation we had at the finance committee meeting,” said John Moriarty, chair of the library’s board of trustees. 

Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative remains the in-house theater company at the Colonial in the proposed contract. 

Ward 2 Councilor Bob Soucy said the majority of changes in the proposed contract compared to the original contract are “in favor of the city,” and “going in a positive direction.” 

“I’m very happy with the direction this has taken,” Mayor Mike Bordes said.

City Manager Kirk Beattie said details are still being discussed, and the proposed contract reviewed by councilors is only a draft.

In related business, councilors approved the partial release of assignment of leases and rents at 609 Main St.  

The City of Laconia holds a collateral assignment of rents and leases on the retail store unit at 609 Main, as one method of security for its loan to the Belknap Economic Development Council. To complete a potential sale of the retail unit, 609 Main must have a clear title. 

In June 2015, the city created a $15 million partnership with Belknap EDC to purchase, renovate and eventually reopen the Colonial. The project included three components: the reconstruction of the theater; the renovation of 14 apartment units; and the renovation of four commercial units. BEDC created 609 Main Street, LLC, to operate the capital campaign. 

“609 Main — BEDC — owns those properties. This is essentially a lien to make sure that if they default on it, we have some type of collateral. By releasing this, they’re going to be able to sell the storefront, they’re selling it as a unit, but it's all the storefronts,” Beattie said.