Weinberg staff prepares for move to offices next door
Aug. 25—The staff of Frederick's Weinberg Center for the Arts will open a new act over the next few months as the theater's offices will move to a space next door to the West Patrick Street venue.
The theater's staff will transition into new offices at 18 W. Patrick St. over the next few months, Executive Theater Manager John Healey said Wednesday.
The move will allow the staff to move out of offices in the theater's basement. The current offices can't accommodate additional staff, are not handicap-accessible, and are prone to water and sewer flooding during heavy rains.
The theater currently has six full-time positions, as well as 30 part-time employees who work during events, according to Karen Paulson, the city's director of human resources
While no major renovations to the new offices are needed, things such as phone lines and internet service still need to be installed, Healey said.
The theater's board asked staff members to come up with a "wish list" of projects, and new offices were among the most common responses, Healey told the mayor and aldermen at a workshop in March.
"They wanted to see the sun," he said.
A 5-year lease for the 2,190-square foot property, formerly a branch of Sandy Springs Bank, was approved by the city's aldermen last week. The lease will begin at $4,215 per month for the first two years, and increase by 3% per year for the final three years.
The Weinberg board has agreed to give the city $5,000 per month for five years to cover the cost of the lease as well as the cost of utilities.
The move will provide space for the staff to grow over time, as well as provide meeting space for staff members and the Weinberg's board, according to a staff report prepared for the mayor and aldermen.
The length of the lease will also give the board, the city, and the property's landlord time to discuss future plans for the building.
"You always need more bathrooms. You always need more conference space, meeting space, those kinds of things," Healey said at the March workshop.
Originally opened in 1926 as the Tivoli Theater, the Weinberg is owned and operated by the city of Frederick, with the support of the nonprofit Weinberg Center for the Arts Inc.
The theater hosts about 150 events per year, including the popular Frederick Speakers Series, which draws authors, performers, and public figures for talks and lectures.
Follow Ryan Marshall on Twitter: @RMarshallFNP
