Columbia City's Neighbor News |
City shuts down the Cinema
Ouch — When Paul Doyle expanded the Cinema, I'd wondered about permits… Here's Paul's latest message (Thursday, June 17):
The Cinema is Closing
Unless You Send an E-Mail
The Cinema's Last Stand
Yesterday the City declared war on our little cinema. Out of the blue, they shut us down, saying the building was unsafe. I've never felt unsafe here myself. How about you?
They said there were a number of fire code violations. Some were valid, some not so valid — we're talking about city government after all — but the important thing is, we've agreed to comply with all of them. In fact we've complied with most of them already. But the big one is they want us to sprinkle the building. We didn't even know we had to. We thought the upstairs at least was grand-fathered in. It should be. The code says multiplexes must be sprinkled but we're not a multiplex. According to the industry, we're a triplex or a miniplex. A multiplex is more than three. Not according to the city. Do we look like a multiplex to you? But we've agreed to sprinkle anyway. Except that the city has given us no time to comply. In fact did not explain the sprinkling requirement until AFTER they shut us down. We have asked the City if we can remain open while we bring the building up to code. So far they have said no. If we can't remain open, we will have to close forever. So if you would like us to survive, please send an e-mail to BOTH of these e-mail addresses Now. Today. It has to be today. Ask the addressees to please let the cinema remain open while we upgrade the building. Thanks.
vog.elttaes|nnigcm.ekim#vog.elttaes|nnigcm.ekim
vog.elttaes|arumigus.enaid#vog.elttaes|arumigus.enaidThe Gang at Columbia City Cinema
…quickly followed by this from Marj Raunig:
Well, I just got a call from Paul, and good news has immediately followed the bad news. The City has allowed a provisional re-opening of the Cinema for 2 weeks while Paul puts a plan together to address the "deficiencies". SO — if you're planning to write to the Mayor and head of DPD — please thank them for this action and encourage continued cooperation to resolve any issues.
Thanks,Marj
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I was sad to hear about the City's actions though I do understand the issue of fire safety. I'm not sure I would feel safer with sprinklers. Honestly, its not something I think about alot. But I suspect that because this is a public safety issue, there will not be a lot of room to manuever.
But more disheartening is the huge silence from fellow residents of Columbia City. Is it that no one knows about the issue? or do they not care? or are they drained from other issues with the Cinema? I will be sorry if the Cinema goes. Our family likes to walk down to enjoy a movie in our own neighborhood.
I spend a lot of time thinking about the outsides of buildings and how they affect neighborhoods. I don't have to think too much about the insides and how they're arranged safely.
I sure do see the benefits of our rules aimed at safety and fairness (ADA access, for instance). But I wonder about what's lost. I mean, these rules often dominate the internal organization of new buildings, they often result in bland and dysfunctional spaces, they're expensive to implement, and they can be a big obstacle for low-budget tenants and for the adaptive reuse of old buildings. If these rules were in place in Columbia City's original heyday, we simply wouldn't have what we've got. The Cinema is a huge asset. On its face, it seems like we should make some big exceptions here.
But I can imagine how my opinion would shift on this — What if there were a fire in one of those new, unattended projection rooms? I imagine the exits would work just fine for all the patrons, but we might well lose the Ark Lodge. And like you say, it doesn't seem like the City has much latitude to make exceptions, now that it's on their radar.
To your second point, I think the conversation is happening, and I'm not too concerned that it hasn't picked up right here, right now. We're a small community with a range of venues for spreading the word — our Wikli pulse is midweek, we've recently rejiggered the site, and there are always more readers than writers. And maybe the wolf has been at the Cinema's door so often now that we've started to get used to it.
Paul & friends keep pulling off daring and imaginative escapes when the Cinema's demise has been all but certain. It's an ongoing drama, and I guess we can sit back & watch or jump into the action. I'm hoping to take in Toy Story with the boys this weekend.
"We didn't even know we had to."
Sad to say, but that's part of the reason behind the permitting process.
I hope CC Cinema can be saved and I tend to agree that sprinklers are not the only way to make a building (be it a cinema or music venue) safe, but it IS on the books and will likely be a difficult path to get an exception.
FYI, here is the response from the Mayor's office. IMHO, the city would like to make this possible but it will take some real work to fix.
( Forwarded: )
So will all the recent donations be returned if the cinema is shut down?
??? why would anyone expect donations to be returned???? There was always a chance that the place wouldn't make it—the fire issues are just one more wrinkle.
I find the letter encouraging—people are clearly trying to find a solution.
How about getting volunteers to patrol for fire while movies play… free popcorn with movie ticket for every volunteer, free movie admission after 3 patrols… . ???