Tuesday night is a big night for the future of the Redding Civic Auditorium as the City Council will consider funding options to assist the private organization that’s been managing it for the last 14 years. Advance Redding has been unable to make ends meet since the departure of the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministries. Last year Advance Redding said it could no longer afford the interior maintenance and utility costs that are part of the lease agreement, and they convinced the City Council to grant them the deferred maintenance account of $675,000. The collection of rent payments was also suspended, but’s that’s only $5,000 a month. Advance Redding Manager Julie Dyar says the operating cost of the Civic is around $433,000 monthly, and 70 Cents of every Dollar is spent on programming and events. Dyar says that without the approval of public funding Tuesday, they’ll have to walk away and close the Auditorium. They’re asking for the city to kick in $116,000 a month as base funding to Advance Redding for their management and maintenance services. City staff has a few possible one-time sources that haven’t been allocated, including $3.2 Million in the Redding Rancheria Health Campus Agreement and $4 Million from Stillwater property sales. Advance Redding is hoping for a show of support at Tuesday’s meeting.
-Steve Gibson