The private organization that has managed the Redding Civic Auditorium for the last 14 years is raising alarms and asking the community to help keep the city-owned facility from closing. The 50-year-old public venue is on a long term lease to Advance Redding, which has been unable to make ends meet since the departure of their most consistent source of income, the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministries. Earlier this year Advance Redding said it could no longer afford the interior maintenance and utility costs that are part of the lease agreement. They convinced the City Council to empty a deferred maintenance account for them of $675,000 and to cancel the rent for the rest of the year while they work on an overhauled contract. The organization has been running the auditorium since 2011, when it had become a financial burden to the city and was hemorrhaging money. Over the years Advance Redding has invested Millions to make improvements to the building. They insist it’s vital infrastructure that must remain open for the area to have a healthy economy, as they argue that it brought $84 Million of total economic impact last year. On December 18th the City Council will hold a budget meeting, and Advance Redding is urging the public to attend the meeting and/or send letters to the council imploring them to keep the doors of the auditorium from closing.
-Steve Gibson