Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facility Closures topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents and Water Tower Theatre ask Addison to reconsider holiday closures for athletic club and theater
Summary
Public commenters and council members debated opening the Addison Athletic Club and performing arts center on select town-observed holidays; staff cautioned that theater operation requires certified technical staff and the current small staffing model drove a recommendation to defer theater changes until next year. Council signaled support to pilot Athletic Club openings subject to staffing and cost analysis.
JC Shuster, associate artistic director of Water Tower Theatre, told the council the resident company was left uncertain about which post-Thanksgiving dates are available at the Addison Performing Arts Center and said the theater had to move this year’s Thanksgiving-week performances to a Plano venue. “We are your resident theatre company,” Shuster said, asking council to “think about this next year.”
Several residents and council members pressed the question of whether the Addison Athletic Club (AAC) and the Addison Performing Arts Center should open on specific town-observed holidays. Adam Bednarczyk, a longtime resident and frequent AAC user, urged keeping the athletic facility open on holidays so families visiting from out of town can use the center. “I would like to go there on holidays as well,” he said.
Fire chief and staff described operational limits and safety requirements. Abby Morales, director of special events and theater, said the performing arts facility requires a town staff member onsite whenever activity takes place because of equipment and liability concerns, and noted the venue’s recent activation creates staffing pressures: “To provide coverage… we have two full-time staff members covering 84 hours a week,” Morales said. City manager David Gaines and other staff warned that the theater’s technical needs—and a frozen second tech position—mean staff availability is the constraint, not policy.
Council members acknowledged both resident demand and staff workload. Mayor Pro Tem Marlon Wilson said he and others had heard requests—especially for the Friday after Thanksgiving—but withdrew a push to change theater closures immediately after staff described coverage challenges. Multiple council members said they supported exploring Athletic Club openings as a pilot, with conditions: use of volunteer or part-time coverage where feasible, staff willingness to work (with overtime/time-and-a-half), and a requirement that staff and budgetary impacts be tracked.
What’s next: Council provided guidance to staff to explore Athletic Club holiday openings as a pilot, gather attendance and cost-per-user data, and revisit theater staffing and a possible change in a future year. The council did not adopt a binding policy change for the theater at this meeting.
