Jackson Free Press

A group of organizations has offered to help the city raise money to refurbish Thalia Mara Hall. At a City Council meeting this morning, supporters of the project said they hope renovating the auditorium will breathe life into the downtown's blossoming "arts and cultural district" ahead of the 2014 International Ballet Competition.

Haley Fisackerly, chairman of the IBC board, said the city needs Thalia Mara Hall to attract people to businesses downtown.

"Convention-Center hotels and Thalia Mara Halls are not profit centers in themselves," he told council members. "What you and I want to see is more people coming to Jackson."

Rob Farr, IBC facilities chairman, said Thalia Mara Hall was state of the art when it was built in 1968, but hasn't really been upgraded since then. He said the auditorium needs about $9 million worth of renovations, including upgrading the air conditioning system, refurbishing the interior, work on the rigging and making the facility more accessible.

Still, $9 million is only a fraction of what it would cost to build a new auditorium, he said, and keeping up the building is worth the cost.

"There are dollars out there to be brought into the city through the arts," Farr said.

Fisackerly said stakeholders from several arts organizations in Jackson want to work with the city and support the project, including the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the Mississippi Opera and the Mississippi Museum of Art.

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said the city also wants to conduct a feasibility study to build an arena in Jackson. He had hoped to raise most of the funding for the study from private sources, but hasn't had much luck.

"The fundraising did not go as well as expected on the private side," Johnson said. "We're cobbling together money to pay for the study, which is about $109,000."