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MICHAEL GOETHE
GEORGIA THEATRE REPORT
The Cause
The fire started in the stage-left dressing room. The most
likely cause was a shorted-out fan. We will probably never
know exactly what happened.
The Damage
From the outside, it's hard to tell how extensive the dam
age is. The interior is basically gutted. Very little, if any, of
the interior will be able to be salvaged. The bathroom/office
level was the least affected, but the future of that level is also
uncertain. The walls are standing, but structurally unsound
because the roof trusses are compromised. Securing the walls
and removing the roof trusses are the immediate priorities. A
structural engineer has completed the plan for these tasks, and
work should begin by the time you read this. Once the walls
are secure, the cleanup can begin. This will be an expensive
and tedious task, and my best guess is that it will take a few
months just to get it stabilized and cleaned up.
What We Are Doing Now
We are meeting with architects, designers and engineers. We
are gathering quotes and exploring the best ways to maximize
the space inside the existing walls. In short, we are rebuild
ing. We will have to build a steel structure inside the brick and
let the exterior basically serve as a facade. I can't really see
opening for at least a year. In the meantime, we are promoting
shows in other venues, selling T-shirts, planning our fundrais
ing campaign and trying to create other avenues for keeping
the boat afloat.
Did We Have Insurance?
Yes, we had insurance for the building, the interior and
business interruption. The total sums for these policies will
help alleviate a big part of the debt we carried. However, that
will leave us with nothing to rebuild, and the debt continues
to accrue in the meantime. We were actually in the process of
exploring the costs of increasing our insurance policy limits
at the time of the fire, because the cosmetic and mechanical
renovations had.increased the value of the property and were
mostly complete. We still own the land, the fagade and the
brand.
Benefits and Fundraising
This is the amazing part of the story so far. We have yet to
"officially" have a benefit or a fundraiser. People, bands, com
panies and clubs are just doing things for us. It's a grassroots
thing that is just incredibly generous. The Classic Center, 40
Watt and Melting Point shows just sprang up by the bands,
managers and clubs. This generosity has really kept us going
(financially and emotionally) during a time when it would have
been easy to just hide our heads in the sand and quit trying.
We are doing everything we can to be accountable and trans
parent with this money. This takes time and
gets confusing quickly.
We have spoken to many non-profit
groups and are diligently working on the best
ways to do all this. Until we have a better
idea how much rebuilding is going to cost, it
would be irresponsible of us to go into full
fundraising mode. However, the music com
munity has been so generous. We truly appre
ciate everything that has been done so far.
Larger, more consolidated fundraising drives
will happen in due time, but until we have
the structures in place to accept these lump
sum donations we are trying to stop these
fundraisers (some of which have happened
without our knowledge).
The Chinese character for "crisis" is
comprised of two symbols: one signifying
"danger," the other "opportunity." With that
in mind, the bottom line is that we could
build back a replica of what we had, but it
seems as though we should use this crisis
as an opportunity. We should build back the
Georgia Theatre in a manner that ensures its
legacy in the future. We have no intention of
asking anyone for help unless they agree with
this goal. Therefore, the fundraising will be
directed towards fans of the Georgia Theatre
who want back what once was—in the grand
est scope. We want to build a venue that you
would be proud to tell your grandchildren
about as they are buying tickets to see a
show in the fall of 2059. This is our vision,
and we are finding that people share this
vision and they are willing to go to bat for
it. With their help, we can accomplish these
lofty goals.
If you are trying to get in touch with
us, please be patient as we may be slow in
responding. We have a very small staff with
limited resources and, frankly, this is all still
overwhelming. There are already so many
peopie to thank, and that list is growing as
fast as the list of bills to pay. We are gathering Athens music
memorabilia to auction off some time in the near future. Please
look through your closets and see what you can find. We also
have a donation "button" at www.georgiatheatre.com, if you
want to chip in some pocket change.
Conspiracy Nuts
None of this has anything to do with the parking deck,
insurance fraud, disgruntled employees, dirty beer lines, George
Bush, etc... It was an accident; it sucks. Luckily, I don't have
time to read blogs much.
Wilmot Greene
Georgia Theatre Patron/Employee/Performer '89—’03
Georgia Theatre Owner ’04-Present
706-548-1188
www.rivermillathens.com
99 Stone Mill Run • Next to Blind Pig & Campus
FAIN & WONDER
TATTO.O
V
W
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€
m.
BODY PIERCING
Provided by Vrrtu« A Vice. Inc. Athens’ Own Randy Smyre & Bethra Szumski
Association Professional Piercers Board Member
www.painandwonder.com
(706) 508-9588
285 W. Washington St. • Athens, GA 30601
DAVID W. GRIFFETH,
Attorney
announces the relocation of his law office
to Downtown in the Fred Building
220 College Ave. Ste. 612,
Athens, Georgia
(706) 353-1360
1 former location . Baxter St
Admitted to the Bar of the United
States Supreme Court since 1976*
*And lesser courts
Specializing in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death,
Criminal Defense, Credit Card/Debt Relief, DUI,
Drug Cases and more.
Listed in Frror in the AT&T BellSouth
Phone Book under “Law Office”
\yw\v. David VVGriffeth.com
JULY 22, 2009 • FLAGPOLE.COM 7