Plans to Utilize Theater and Studio at New City Hall Encounter Delay

• Equipment Ownership Disputed

BY BILL KOENEKER

The Malibu City Council was asked this week to delay a directive to the staff to issue a request for a proposal for media management services at the new city hall.
“We are asking you to remove it from the agenda,” said City Manager Jim Thorsen, who said after a sound testing at the former media center staff wanted to make some modifications to the RFP.
Malibu city officials have laid out detailed plans about how they intend to utilize the media equipment, including recording studio equipment left behind in the old performing arts center building that is owned by the city and is being readied for a new city hall.
However, the Malibu Surfside News has learned there has been a claim made on the soundboard in the recording studio, described as the main component required of any studio.
Mary Devine Scott through her attorney has made a claim that the board belongs to her.
“We were there at the bankruptcy preceding the city’s sale. The city told the judge they would deal with it later,” said Art Carvalho, who represents Scott.
The attorney said he and his client have submitted a claim and the evidence for the $284,000 purchase of the board.
Carvalho said he and his client did not know the city intended to retain the recording studio and believed it would be easy to retrieve the board. “Now we learn they want to operate a recording studio. We thought it was going to be a city hall,” he said.
“The city intends to leave portions of the performing arts center, including the theater and recording studio with the remainder of the building to be redesigned as a functional city hall,” wrote Assistant City Manager Reva Feldman, in a staff report to council members. Feldman indicated the city could generate up to a $100,000 in revenue.
The fee schedule was adopted this week by the council and is proposed for current uses until an agreement can be reached for media management services, and then a revised fee schedule will be brought before the council, according to city officials.
Fees range from use of the recording studio for $5000, the theater for $4500 including additional costs for rehearsals, the banquet room for 200 guests for $7000 to various prices for motion picture filming, still shoot filming, kitchen, wardrobe room and encore room charges.