The city of Ocala recently approved a lease extension amendment with the Reilly Arts Center to operate the Marion Theatre for the next five years.
According to city records, the Reilly Arts Center started operating the theatre on a short-term lease in September 2020. That short-term lease allowed the center to evaluate the current market and develop “long-term programming plans.”
The amended lease will have the city of Ocala continue to cover the utility costs during the first five years. Currently, the utility bill averages about $3,000 per month.
In the past 80 years, the face of downtown Ocala has changed dramatically while the Marion Theatre has been a relative constant. Constructed in 1941, the theatre was donated to the city in 1986.
In recent years, the Marion Theatre was managed through a series of short-term leases with the previous tenants. The rent on the location has remained at $1 in an effort to help the theater’s tenants turn the space around.
According to the city, among other items, the amended lease will include up to $40,000 paid to the tenant during the five-year lease “for a new downstairs projector and two movie screens.”
Ocala City council members voted 4-0 to approve the amended lease.
Matthew Wardell, who along with his wife Pamela Wardell operates the Reilly Arts Center and Marion Theatre, abstained from the vote.