Douglas County commissioners unanimously approved purchasing the Carson Valley Cinemas for $2.9 million on Thursday.
Describing it as a leap of faith, county commissioners authorized a $2.9 million purchase agreement with the owner of Carson Valley Cinemas for what will eventually be a performing arts center.
“To some degree, this is a leap of faith,” Commissioner Nathan Tolbert said of the purchase. “If there’s any group I would trust with a project like this, it’s our Community Services Department. If this is a leap of faith, I don’t think there is a better group.”
The cinemas will continue to operate as a movie house for the next year, Community Services Director Brook Adie said.
The purchase includes the building and site, along with the concessions and equipment that allows the theater to operate, Adie said.
“We’re buying a building that our community has said for years they’ve wanted, that came in under appraised value with money from out-of-towners,” Commission Chairwoman Sharla Hales said. “What’s not to love about this.”
Commissioner Mark Gardner said this appeared to be the only opportunity to achieve the long-time goal of a performing arts center within a reasonable time.
Owner Kelly Bland told commissioners there wasn’t anyone else in the wings to purchase the property.
The center was appraised at $3.2 million. A story appearing in Wednesday’s edition incorrectly indicated the sale price had to match that amount. What the appraisal couldn’t do under state law was be less than the purchase price.
Two residents spoke on the topic, both of whom had questions, but didn’t say they opposed the purchase.
Johnson Lane resident Jim Jackson warned that given the current political climate the county would be wise not to count on federal grants.
He said he was not opposed to the purchase, but wanted guarantees it would not end up costing the county’s general fund.
The source of the funds to purchase the building are restricted room taxes which can only be used for a few things besides recreation, such as economic vitality or the airport. Up to now, the airport has been able to do most of what it needed using federal aviation grants, though Jackson’s warning might apply there, too.
Adie said the Carson Valley Arts Council was the only nonprofit to respond to a request for proposals and will operate the theater under an agreement with the county.
The department reached out to a half dozen nonprofits to see if there was any interested in the partnership. The only other respondent was a private party in South Lake Tahoe.
Arts Council President Brian Fitzgerald said his board met on Monday and authorized $250,000 to bring to the project.
“The arts council is growing with this project,” he said. “We had two new board members. We’re seeing interest in the arts and people want to get involved.”
Fitzgerald said he was also authorized to negotiate with the theater operator to arrange the transition. It may be at least a year before the theater sees work toward becoming an arts center.
The Community Services Foundation is also anteing up $250,000 to begin the process.
Operating the theater would cost around $47,000 a year in room taxes. All other costs would be the responsibility of the Arts Council.
The county expects to engage an architect in August and establish an advisory board in January 2026.
Adie said phases 2 and 3 to convert some of the theaters will cost several millions, but that won’t be known until an architect has been hired and outreach for what residents want to see.