Council renews 10-year lease with Theater 98; citizens urged clearer performance and facility standards

The City Council authorized a 10-year lease renewal with Theater 98 for the premises at 350 Morphy Avenue while members of the public urged the council to review lease terms related to youth programming and building maintenance. During public participation, citizen Jeffrey Lovingood, a former county purchasing director and former participant in productions, suggested Theater 98 historically had not fulfilled youth-targeted programming requirements in the lease and raised questions about building condition and compliance with codes. "My concern, counsel, is that Theater 98's current leadership ... at best appears to meet only the bare minimum terms of this lease," Lovingood said, urging the council to consider lease length, maintenance obligations and youth outreach. Theater 98 board member Jennifer Walker, who said she is second vice president and a newer board member, responded that the organization provides four free performances a year that are open to youth and seniors, that the board is actively addressing maintenance and code-related needs for an older building, and that the board has worked to keep the facility safe and operational. Council discussion stressed both appreciation for Theater 98 as a community asset and the need for clarity. Councilmembers asked the building department to check inspection records and stated that if code or safety deficiencies exist they would be addressed according to their respective responsibilities. Council President said that while the city had provided capital support previously (for example, a roof), the lease imposes obligations on the lessee to maintain the premises and that the council could revisit lease language if terms were no longer realistic given the city's evolving arts landscape. The council approved the resolution renewing the lease and directed staff to follow up on building-code inspection status and to consider any necessary adjustments to lease expectations in future discussions; there was no immediate change to the lease language at the meeting.