SALA Event Center volunteer and advocate Kevin Holsapple, left, and SALA Owner Allan Saenz stand in the movie theater that will become an immersive theater experience. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
A rendering of what the immersive experience will be like once the project is completed. Courtesy/SALA
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
It’s amazing what has been accomplished at the SALA Event Center in a year-and-a-half.
When owner Allan Saenz acquired and re-opened the former Reel Deal Theater at 2551 Central Avenue in 2022, the transformation began. Auditoriums were revamped, and the lobby got a whole new look. Not only are movies screened at the theater, but it hosts meetings, live music, birthday parties, lectures, fundraisers and other community events.
The work isn’t stopping; with the anticipated assistance of $600,000 Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) funding, Saenz and his team are striving to complete phase two of SALA’s development. Los Alamos County Council recently approved the terms for the LEDA project during its December meeting. Of the $600,000, $450,000 will be a grant and $150,000 will be a loan.
Phase two, Saenz explained, includes making modifications to the event center. For instance, he said one of the existing movie theaters that isn’t in use will be modified and re-designed to be an immersive experience with installation of projection mapping capabilities. The other theaters will receive improvements to staging, lighting, sound and microphones. SALA is partnering with 4Pi Productions to bring immersive experiences to the public. This particular theater experience is comparable to wearing three-dimensional headgear but rather than pulling down a visor over your eyes, the three-dimensional imaging is projected in 360 degrees, covering the entire room including all walls and the floor.
Furthermore, the LEDA funds will go toward installing digital signage on the exterior of the building.
Volunteer and SALA advocate Kevin Holsapple said the new signage will not only advertise what is going on inside SALA but also serve as a bulletin board for various community events and activities. Phase two is expected to be completed by summer.
“The upgrades will improve the facility to offer more options and provide a better venue for the community,” Saenz said.
He pointed out that the LEDA funds are not yet set in stone; a formal project participation agreement (PPA) and authorizing ordinance still need to be approved.
Los Alamos County Economic Development Administrator Dan Ungerleider reported the introduction of the ordinance and PPA is anticipated to go to council either this month or early February. This is subject to the applicant’s agreement to the terms of the PPA and LEDA.
Work to get the LEDA funds formalized may not be completed but Holsapple said it is still exciting that the terms for the LEDA agreement were unanimously approved by council.
“(It shows) how important SALA has become for the community and for community life,” Holsapple said.
Saenz agreed, saying council’s approval was “an important step for accomplishing important benefits for the community.”
He emphasized the new theater experience would not just be great for residents but for visitors, too.
Holsapple said the immersive experience will be a new visitor attraction partly designed to lead visitors to the community’s various physical attractions like the Bradbury Science Museum, the Historical District and museum, the Los Alamos Nature Center, White Rock Canyon, Bandelier National Monument, the Valles Caldera and other outdoor attractions.
He explained that the immersive experience at SALA will show visitors what Los Alamos is all about – its setting, science, history and people. It will provide touchstones to help people get a better grasp of the community and where they can visit while they are here.
The LEDA funds are the perfect tool to make this happen, Saenz said. He explained that a lot of different options were explored but with LEDA, the County can support a local business and achieve a multitude of its goals, all without breaking any anti-donation laws.
If the County wants businesses to succeed, then it needs to help businesses, Saenz said.
“I feel there has to be action,” he said. “There needs to be skin in the game from the County.”
The County has so many plans for economic development, tourism and for the creative district, Holsapple said, and this LEDA project addresses many of the goals outlined in these plans.
“It was just a compelling fit,” he said. “The County has the finances and the means to do this and will be addressing many of its stated priorities through the project.”
The community has shown strong support for this project. Saenz pointed out that SALA issued a petition for phase two and it garnered more than 200 signatures. The petition is still open for more signatures and comments on the SALA website. To view the petition, visit https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/support-salas-leda-application-for-community.
Holsapple further noted that it has been a “decades long” wish in the community to have a multi-use events facility in town and SALA is fulfilling a big part of that while re-energizing a shuttered downtown property.
There are ways to continue to support SALA; one is to become a member. This can be done on SALA’s website, https://sala.losalamos.com/.
Holsapple pointed out that to achieve its goals, SALA needs everyone’s support. He noted that the LEDA funds will go to capital improvements in the event center, they do not cover any operational expenses.
“If we all want it, then we need to pitch in together,” he said. “We can get a lot of things done as a community.”
Saenz agreed.
“This project is for the community,” he said. “Support by the community through memberships is very important.”
While there is a lot of work on the horizon, Holsapple took stock of what SALA has achieved since first opening its doors. He noted it’s been quite a lot.
“Within a year-and-a-half, SALA took a dark, empty building and turned it into a space that is used every day … and expects to add this very unique, one-of-a-kind attraction in just its first year-and-a-half,” he said.