Gregg Hough: City council should create Colonial Theatre Commission

To The Daily Sun,

To be clear, I am on record against the city’s involvement with the Colonial Theatre. Government has no business being in business. With that said, our former mayor and city council boldly crossed that line and now we have the 25-year taxpayer burden and no local control over its function. The horse is out of the barn, and the milk is already spilt. The question is not if we should or shouldn’t anymore, but how do we make a taxpayer financial disaster into a community asset that at least pays for itself, and is truly a benefit to our city?

As a former state representative who was on the county delegation that helped to not only preserve Gunstock but set the wheels in motion for it to have record growth, stability, and give back record profits to our county, I suggest Laconia seriously look at that model.

The city council should create the Colonial Theatre Commission with three to five commissioners appointed by the city council on a rotating schedule. That commission in turn hires with the funds currently going to a Massachusetts based company a serious business professional, (maybe retired) that has the full-time position to make the Colonial into the economic and community-driven asset it is capable of being. Every successful venue rents dates. A properly run theater books touring acts, community productions, dance schools, corporate events, comedy tours, film festivals, political forums, graduation ceremonies, etc. The building should be booked 250+ nights per year.

A modest schedule of 120 nights with 700 seats at 60% average attendance and a $3 ticket fee would generate about $151,200 per year from ticket fees alone. When rental fees and concessions are added, the total could reach $600,000 to $900,000 per year. I hope the counsel and manager are listening.

Gregg Hough

Laconia