Community continues fight to keep West Valley City theater open

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — One week after West Valley City announced its intent to close a local theater , the arts community continues to fight to keep the doors from closing .

"To have them just decide one day, 'Eh' without evening talking to the community, me as a resident, that's the thing that's the most upsetting," said Morgan Fenner.

On Tuesday, a group rallied on the street outside the West Valley Performing Arts Center in hopes of swaying the city.

"It is intimate. We have this intimacy and this ability to storytell here that we don't get at other theaters," she said.

The city said one of the reasons to close the center was because of millions of dollars of "structural damage."

Katie Drake said some of the repairs on the list aren't immediately necessary.

"We can put on shows just fine without those things. It's not a safety issue or anything, those are repairs that don't need to be made anytime soon and they're very expensive," said Drake.

Supporters to save the theater have met with the city to explore other options.

"We are listening to some of these solutions at this point," said city manager Ifo Pili. "We really don't have anything to bring forward right now but appreciate those of you that have come."

"Do you want to see a 17% property tax increase to fix this?" questioned councilmember Tom Huynh.

Speakers at Tuesday's council meeting pleaded for the building to stay.

"Will restaurants be able to operate as they do now without the draw of the center or another magnet venue like it?" asked one man. "How will this closure affect them?"

"We need that theater. We need it so badly," said a woman.

The West Valley Performing Arts Center isn't closed yet. The 2024 season is still ongoing and there's a variety of shows planned for the year.

There is a karaoke fundraiser at the center this Saturday at 8 p.m.

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