With a 5 p.m. deadline looming today, there were no proposals sent to temporarily run the Roanoke Rapids Theatre as of Thursday evening, City Manager Paul Sabiston said this morning.

Sabiston said he did expect at least two proposals to be submitted by today’s deadline.

Mayor Emery Doughtie said he would like some type of forum so the public can comment on the proposals. “I have no problem with public input.”

The group chosen will operate as an independent contractor for the city, according to the request for qualifications.

The operator will be responsible for, at its own cost, all artists’ fees, its employees’ salaries and wages, supplies, food and beverage supplies, artist and entertainment fees, security, marketing and promotion of events, subcontractors providing sound, lighting and related technical assistance, and all other costs unless specifically agreed to be paid by city.

The city will pay the general debt obligations of the facility, the essential utilities of the Facility, and provide basic exterior and interior maintenance and landscaping of the Facility.

The operator, at its own cost, will be responsible for maintaining and funding a continuing and active marketing and advertising campaign that will promote the venue and specific acts scheduled to perform with an estimated per artist budget of $2,000.

The operator will be expected to present a minimum of three or more quality concerts or performances per calendar month featuring class “A” or above artists.

The city took control of the theater the first of this month when a day before it won an injunction in Halifax County Civil Court.

The injunction was part of a larger lawsuit the city filed against Lafayette Gatling and his company, L&M Hospitality, to oust the Chicago businessman from the venue.

The seven page civil lawsuit contains four evidence exhibits which include the notice ending Gatling’s contract with the city, a letter demanding the property and past due rent back, the lease agreement with the city and the contract for Gatling and L&M Hospitality to buy the 8.822 acres of land on which the venue is located.

The city contends in the lawsuit it entered valid contracts with Gatling through the lease and agreement to buy the land. The city says it has complied with the terms of the documents and that Gatling has committed material breaches of the documents while the city has given notice they have not been corrected.