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Los Alamos Little Theatre warns asbestos abatement could leave Performing Arts Center unusable without more funding
Summary
Board members of the Los Alamos Little Theatre told the County Council that planned asbestos abatement and sprinkler work could gut most interior finishes and that there is no funding to bring the buildingsystems back up to code, threatening the organizationthat has occupied the Nectar Street performing arts center since the 1970s.
Shauna Zimmerman, president of the Los Alamos Little Theatre, urged the Los Alamos County Council on Jan. 28 to "help us to stop playing," describing an impending asbestos-abatement project she said could leave the theatre an "empty shell" unless the county identifies additional funding.
The Little Theatre occupies the Performing Arts Theater Center on Nectar Street and traces its roots to a 1943 group that staged the first plays in Los Alamos. At the council meeting Zimmerman and other theatre board members described decades of community programming and said the group could be unable to use the building during — and possibly after — the abatement work now planned for this summer.
"There is planning and at least some funding for an asbestos abatement and sprinkler installation project to begin June 1," Terri Turton, vice president of the Little Theatre board, told council. "Our understanding is that up to 90% of the walls and up to 80% of the ceilings and floors will need to be torn out as part of the abatement process. Our concern is that there is no funding to bring the electrical, mechanical, and plumbing up to code as required by state law. There is also no funding to rebuild the walls."
Board member Colin McDowell described the theatreand its audiencesas a local economic driver for nearby restaurants and bars. McDowell provided an estimate the company uses for local economic impact, saying a typical audience night generates thousands of dollars in local spending and that the theatre stages multiple productions each year. "We may be a little theater, but we have a big impact," he said.
Councilors and the county manager acknowledged the concerns and said staff would look into the project scope, schedule and funding. In the county managerreport later in the meeting the manager said staff had been "surprised by the public comment" and would follow up, noting that abatement is typically the first phase of a renovation and that code-compliant reconstruction is required before reopening.
The Little Theatre asked the council to request a formal presentation from staff describing the abatement scope, timeline and budget and to consider options to preserve the community venue for performances, classes and rentals.
The council did not take formal action on the matter at the Jan. 28 meeting but several councilors said they wanted more information and that staff should report back to the council.
