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Commission tables Sunrise Theater audio purchase‑order increase pending lease‑to‑own analysis and RFP review
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Summary
The commission pulled and then tabled a request to raise a Sunrise Theater purchase order from $50,000 to $80,000 to cover monthly audio equipment rentals; theater director Holland Ryan and staff urged study of a lease‑to‑own option and alignment with an active RFP for theater operations.
The City of Fort Pierce Commission on June 2 voted to pull and table an item that would have increased purchase order number 250544 for Jackhammer Live Audio from $50,000 to $80,000 to cover monthly rentals and related performance equipment for the Sunrise Theater.
Holland Ryan, director of the Sunrise Theater, told the commission the theater currently rents sound components at roughly $6,700 to $7,900 per month following an equipment failure. Ryan recommended a lease‑to‑own approach that would apply rental payments toward ownership and reduce long‑term costs: “A lease to own would be the best case scenario. Would save you long run,” he said.
City staff and the city attorney advised the commission that the procurement and solicitation context requires further review. Planning and procurement staff said the theater operator RFP has closed and an evaluation committee is meeting to consider proposals; Cheyenne Harnage, planning staff, said the committee could request presentations and that the matter will return to the commission with a recommendation.
City Manager Curtis Chess said a 30‑day delay would not disrupt operations and would allow staff time to assemble a complete proposal. Staff recommended pulling the item so commissioners could receive additional documentation — including bids, the lease‑to‑own quote included in the packet, and a summary of where the expenditure should sit in the budget or FPRA accounting structure.
Action: The commission voted to pull and table the purchase order increase (vote recorded: Commissioner Broderick — Yes; Commissioner Gaines — Yes; Commissioner Johnson — Yes; Commissioner Taylor — Yes; Mayor Linda Hudson — Yes). Staff will return with a procurement review, lease‑to‑own analysis and a proposed path forward in approximately 30 days.
Why it matters: The Sunrise Theater is a city facility whose sound and production systems affect program quality and revenue. Commissioners sought to avoid short‑term rental cost escalation without examining lease‑to‑own and comparative bids and coordinating the expenditure with the FPRA and an active operator solicitation.
