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Thomasville council considers feasibility study options for Palace Theater; staff and PACE to discuss shared funding
Summary
City staff presented two options for a feasibility study of the Palace Theater: an $8,400 remote option and a roughly $40,000 on-site option. Council members asked for a middle option and said the city could consider contributing up to $20,000 toward a study if PACE and Tourism also contribute.
City staff outlined options on March 10 for a feasibility study to evaluate repurposing the Palace Theater building into a multi-use community facility.
City Manager Brandt and Tammy Joyce told the council that Preservation of Arts, Culture, and Entertainment (PACE) owns the Palace building and is seeking a study to determine viable community uses. Staff presented two price points: a lower-cost $8,400 study that would not include on-site visits and a more robust option near $40,000 that would include site visits and additional analysis. Tourism Director Cameron Marsden noted recent visitor-spending figures for Davidson County ($291 million last year) to frame potential economic impacts.
Council members questioned whether a lower-cost, remote-only study would be sufficient and discussed a middle-ground scope that would include some site visits while limiting cost. The council asked staff to identify the cost of additional site visits, develop a concept budget, and take that information back to PACE and Tourism for shared funding discussions. Members indicated they would be comfortable with the City contributing up to $20,000 toward a study but did not record a formal funding commitment or vote at the briefing meeting.
Next steps recorded in the briefing minutes include staff investigating additional visit options and costs and returning the information to the council at an April committee meeting.
