Los Alamos Little Theatre Board President Seona Zimmermann stands outside the Performing Arts Center Wednesday morning at 1670 Nectar St. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

It is understood that the Performing Arts Center, 1670 Nectar St., needs work but that is where the general understanding ends.

The Los Alamos Little Theatre (LALT) Board, which operates the center, has a different view of a project than what Los Alamos County Public Works intends.

LALT Board Members shared their interpretation of the project and concerns toward it during the Jan. 28 council meeting. Council did not take any action, but County Manager Anne Laurent told council that she expects the issue will be investigated and an update given in a future meeting.

During an interview with the Los Alamos Daily Post, LALT Board President Seona Zimmermann detailed the board’s concerns.

She explained that asbestos abatement needs to be done in the building – meaning about 80 to 90 percent of the walls, ceiling and floor need to be ripped out. Plus, there are safety issues to address such as bringing the electrical, plumbing and mechanical infrastructure in the performing arts center up to code. The restrooms also need to be made ADA compliant.

When board vice president Terry Turton did a recent walk through with County staff for the project, Zimmermann said Turton was informed that there weren’t funds to do all the necessary work. What would be done was the abatement. Reportedly, she was told LALT could tack up curtains over the gutted walls.

“We were essentially being told when we come (back in the performance center), it will be to a bare shell of a building with curtains,” Zimmermann said.

“We feel like we are not getting any support,” she added, “We kind of feel worried that we are going to have to take everything out and they will gut it, and we can’t re-occupy it.”

During the Jan. 28 meeting, Turton relayed those concerns to the council.

“Our understanding is that up to 90 percent of the walls and up to 80 percent of ceilings and floors will need to be torn out as part of the abatement process,” she said. “Our concern is that there is no funding to bring the electrical, mechanical and plumbing up to code as required by state law. There is also no funding to rebuild the walls.”

According to Project Manager Sobia Sayeda, the original scope of the project did not include addressing all the issues with the facility but focused on installing a fire suppression system. With the discovery of asbestos material, asbestos abatement isolated to the areas where the suppression system will be installed was deemed necessary.

County Public Works Director Eric Martinez explained that a fire suppression system was originally a recommendation from the Los Alamos County Fire Marshall’s Office. Given the building’s age, Martinez explained a due diligence hazardous material investigation was conducted which revealed asbestos containing materials in the building’s walls, floors and ceiling.

Since the asbestos was determined to only be hazardous if it became airborne, its removal can be isolated to the ceilings where fire sprinklers and piping would be installed along with some selective flooring areas, Martinez said.

While it is understood that the remaining asbestos should be removed and the building’s infrastructure needs to be brought up to code, that is beyond the scope and budget of this upcoming project, Martinez said. These issues could be addressed in the future, he said.

The project is scheduled to begin in June; Sayeda said the budget for the project is $300,000 and should be completed by October so LALT can return to the building for its new season. As a result of recent meetings with the county’s on-call contractors, Sayeda explained that some questions were addressed and updated cost proposals are in development to get the necessary contract documents in place.

Sayeda added she has been in communication with the LALT board’s point of contact since she began to be involved in the project in September 2024. The project kicked off in 2022.

Martinez said he is unsure of the reasons behind the misunderstandings about the project. However, he said staff are working to provide an update and meet with LALT representatives very soon as well as brief Council.

During the Jan. 28 council meeting, Laurent said she was surprised by the LALT board’s comments.

“I can only assume that there’s some misunderstandings about some of the challenges we are having about the abatement and then phasing the project to when they want it to be occupied and operational,” she said.

She assured that “The County not only wouldn’t but couldn’t do a project that doesn’t meet code.”

Martinez agreed, telling the Daily Post, “to be clear, there are no plans to remove walls and replace them with curtains.”

To avoid future misunderstandings on projects, Martinez said, “we just need to remember to make more frequent communication with the right folks and recognize the need to extend our outreach a little more often. We understand the Little Theatre organization and their productions are a community treasure and look forward to working with them to complete this safety improvement”.

Zimmermann iterated the communication issue in her comments during the Jan. 28 council meeting. She noted the LALT board has not received any written documentation of scope, schedule or budget for the project despite numerous requests so is only able to go on verbal statements that have been given by County representatives in the past two years.

LALT has a long history in Los Alamos. Zimmermann n reported during the council meeting that Oppenheimer was a cast member in one of its productions during the Manhattan Project and furthermore, the building it occupies was the cafeteria for the Manhattan Project. To the Daily Post, she said that LALT saved the building from being demolished in 1971.

“We have been in continuous operation since then,” she said.

The County owns the building, and LALT is its tenant. Zimmermann n said LALT does not pay rent but does perform maintenance on the interior and exterior of the building.

Originally, LALT provided the community with five theatrical productions per season, but Zimmermann n said they are trying to expand on that. It offers AtomiComedy, live music such as Heather and the Bad Breaks and sponsors the Littler Theatre, an after-school theater program for middle school students.

LALT Board member Collin McDowell told Council Jan. 28 that “The theatre means so much to so many of us here in the community.”

He added that those who volunteer their time at the theatre pour so much into it and the audience responds similarly.

McDowell said the theatre’s shows bring people out and usher them into nearby local businesses, which gives a significant boost to the local economy.

“We may be a little theatre, but we have a big impact,” he said.

Zimmermann echoed this belief.

“It is a great organization … they have really tried to bring it up to be a place for arts and for more opportunities for the stand-up comedy or shows (like Heather and the Bad Breaks),” she said. “It is a cool space. Doesn’t it make sense to replace the ancient plumbing, electrical and mechanical infrastructure while the walls are open? The community needs a safe, updated Little Theatre.”