SPRINGFIELD — Getting the lights back on.
That’s a key mission as Focus Springfield Community Television, facing eviction from its current site at the MGM Springfield casino property, is seeking to relocate to the dormant CityStage theater building at One Columbus Center.
Local officials say the proposed move, still being negotiated, would provide a needed new home for Focus Springfield while also generating new life for the CityStage building.
The theater, on Bridge Street in the heart of the city’s downtown, closed more than a year ago. At its current site, 1200 Main St., Focus Springfield operates a public access TV station, performing arts studio, training facility and business office.
“We’re very excited to be working with Focus on this,” said Thomas D. Moore, interim executive director of the Springfield Parking Authority, which owns Columbus Center. “It has excellent potential for use of the space moving forward. We’re pleased to activate the space.”
The space leased by Focus Springfield would not include the main 479-seat theater, Moore said, giving the Parking Authority the option to consider additional uses. Focus Springfield would rent a smaller black box theater in the building for its studio, as well as first-floor office space and a lounge area.
Under the proposed lease agreement, Focus Springfield would pay $68,400 in rent annually to the Parking Authority. The figure takes into account the up-front costs paid by Focus Springfield for building improvements, Moore said.
“This gets the lights back on there,” Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said. “This is a vision I had about reactivating CityStage."
Sarno added that besides being a home to Focus Springfield, activity at the building helps spur opportunities for more live entertainment there.
John Abbott, executive director of Focus Springfield, said he hopes the move can occur “as soon as possible.”
Focus Springfield’s current facility — at the corner of Main and State streets — was unveiled in June 2014. The $1 million renovation project created first floor space for two studios, a video lab, exhibition space and modern technology.
In December 2014, MGM Springfield purchased the building, the original home of MassMutual, for $8.4 million.
In March 2017 news became public that MGM Springfield was evicting Focus Springfield to open the space for other uses.
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MGM Springfield has given Focus Springfield multiple extensions to relocate from the casino site, with the latest deadline set for September of 2020.
The capital improvements and system upgrades Focus Springfield would need to operate at CityStage could cost approximately $685,000, Parking Authority officials said in an application for $300,000 in casino mitigation funds.
The relocation of Focus Springfield to CityStage will bring “renewed energy and excitement to the heart of the city,” the funding application said.
Focus Springfield, a city-created, nonprofit company, is funded under Comcast’s cable television agreement with the city. Its annual operating budget is less than $800,000.
Abbott said MGM is already committed to giving Focus Springfield $300,000 as compensation for the eviction. That, plus the casino mitigation money, might add up to enough to pay for the relocation, he said.
In January, officials said Main Street Hospitality Group, which owns Stockbridge’s historic Red Lion Inn, is exploring the potential conversion of the eight-story MGM building at State and Main streets to a hotel.
The Springfield Performing Arts Group closed CityStage permanently in December 2018. Since then, the theater has been used for a few jazz performances and for a weekly church service.
It is likely the theater will continue to be used for an occasional show as the Parking Authority considers other options for the site, Moore said.
MGM Springfield was required under its Host Community Agreement to underwrite, co-promote, book and schedule at least three events per calendar year at CityStage, with similar requirements at the MassMutual Center and Symphony Hall. The closure of CityStage ended that part of the commitment, city officials said.
The Parking Authority sought proposals for CityStage last year, and the board determined that Focus Springfield offered the most favorable plan, Moore said.
The Parking Authority oversees on-street and off-street parking in Springfield, including the Columbus Center parking garage.
In its application for casino mitigation funds, the Parking Authority said the CityStage project would allow Focus Springfield “to continue providing a wide range of services on a daily basis, including live and non-live performances, promotion of the arts and culture of Springfield and the Pioneer Valley, collaborating with local and regional entertainment organizations, such as Springfield Libraries and Public Schools, the School of Performing Arts, the Springfield Cultural District, and the Massachusetts Cultural Commission.”
Focus Springfield also records Springfield City Council and School Committee meetings, special community events, and government/school oriented programming and announcements.
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Applications for casino mitigation funds are under review by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission staff, and the commission’s decisions are not likely until May or June, a commission spokeswoman said.
The capital improvements proposed at the CityStage site include adapting the black box theater to function as a television broadcast studio; repurposing the rehearsal hall/lounge area to create a “Studio B” space for interview programs and other shows with small sets; and redesigning the office space on the first level to incorporate video and audio training facilities for residents, students and local employees, as well as offices for Focus Springfield staff.
The improvements also including building a small kitchen and dining facility in the existing lounge area, installing rests rooms and dressing rooms, and providing new furnishings.
Focus Springfield moved to the building at Main and State streets, with Sarno’s encouragement, “to light that corner up and make it more attractive,” Abbott said.
Abbott said the property had been selected for Focus Springfield and renovations began in 2012, prior to the city’s selection of MGM Springfield for the casino project.
Abbott said he believes that mission was accomplished and can likewise occur at the CityStage property.
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Turning the lights back on: Focus Springfield TV seeks move to CityStage building - MassLive.com
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