There was plenty of activity today, the first day of the city’s ownership of the Roanoke Rapids Theatre since winning an injunction Tuesday in Halifax County Civil Court.

While none of the activity was related to entertainment — changing locks, landscaping, retrieving passwords — City Manager Paul Sabiston said he will most likely ask council at its work session Tuesday to approve submitting requests for proposals for someone to run the theater temporarily.

Public Works Director Richard Parnell said most of the work his department will be responsible for is maintenance and getting the venue up to standards. “We feel like it should be inspected inside.”

Crews were cutting grass at the venue and the city was going to have to deal with an area around the cupola which has been repaired twice but shows water spots on some of the ceiling tile. Lights around the outside of the theater must be fixed and there is some mold that must be addressed. “The majority of it looks pretty clean,” Parnell said.

Council member Suetta Scarbrough visited the theater as it was being inspected. “I’m delighted we have it back since we have not gotten paid.”

Scarbrough said she would like to see the city sell the theater and see regular shows with a house full. “I think Roanoke Rapids should support it.”

She said, however, it will not only take Roanoke Rapids and Halifax County to make the theater work, the tourists driving the interstate must participate. “It’s a beautiful facility. A lot of people in town went there frequently.”

Locksmith David Lynch was there to help his worker install around 110 new locks in the theater. “It looks like everything is going like clockwork.”

Sabiston said the city took inventory of the theater Tuesday, the day the order granting the injunction was signed.“There were a few odds and ends missing,” the city manager said, however, it was nothing major.

Sabiston believes the cleanup should be minimal. “This is still a new facility. We just have to clean it up, nothing major. We have to renovate a few items here and there.”

Landscaping should take several days, Sabiston said, and the leak will be fixed. “The outside needs to be pressure washed.”

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It appears the first use of the theater could be as a staging area for Dominion Power crews on standby for Hurricane Earl.

Lafayette Gatling has cleared most of his belongings from the theater, Sabiston said. He still has two weeks to get the rest of the items and the charter bus company he ran is no longer operating from the venue.

As for a show booked for September 24 with the Easy Street Band, that is now in the air, the city manager said. “That’s so far down the list of priorities. If it happens, great.”

Sabiston said the show was booked during a period the control issue was in litigation. He says the matter should have been explored as part of the promoter’s due diligence.

With the city controlling the theater, Sabiston is expected to ask council to advertise requests for proposals to run the venue temporarily, perhaps six months to a year. “We will consider all viable options. There will be performance standards including the number of events.”