By Shane Blatt

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Duluth's beleaguered Red Clay Theatre will take center stage Tuesday night in a public hearing to garner resident input on plans to expand.

Enlarge photo

JESSICA MCGOWAN/AJC SPECIAL In happier times, business partners Mark Pitt (left) and Shelly Howard sit in the downtown Duluth building that became the location of Red Clay Theater in 2006.

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The Downtown Development Authority is soliciting feedback on several drawings for a proposed addition to the Main Street venue rocked by flooding, mold and recent demolition of parts of the building. A July 18 article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution detailed the theater's troubles.

The DDA, in conjunction with the city, is looking to spend $400,000 to $500,000 to add up to 3,500 square feet to the 16,000-square-foot facility. The added space would be used for a lobby, box office and bathrooms.

Rob Ponder, a DDA member and architect, noted that the plans aren't final and resident input will be weighed heavily.

"There might be somebody who comes up with a real neat idea," Ponder said. "And we know we have some people who will say: ‘You shouldn't do anything else. You should close the theater.' "

City Councilman Billy Jones, one of the venue's critics, believes the theater should be transformed into a multipurpose facility.

"We need to have a vision that if it doesn't succeed, we're not trapped into it being a theater," Jones said.

But residents such as Jim Ware, 41, who lives a mile from the venue, said the space has potential.

"I definitely hope it stays around," said Ware, who recently attended an adaptation of the "The Little Mermaid" at the theater. "I think it's important for every town to have."

Duluth taxpayers paid $1.8 million in 2004 to acquire the building and $800,000 in 2006 to convert it into a professional theater. Since April, the Gwinnett County city has spent $52,000 to tear down two sections after finding mold growth following September's historic rains, as well as rotting wood and a deteriorating roof. What's left is the 1994 stage and seating area.

The City Council has no plans to ditch the theater, noting that it is important to the community's health and helps drive foot traffic downtown.

Ponder believes the odds are "very high" that Duluth will push forward with a building addition. He expects the city to issue a request for proposals for an architect within the next month to two, with construction starting in as early as eight months.

"We have to do something to finish this off," said Chris McGahee, the city's economic development manager. "We can attach a building to it. We can brick it up. But we've got to have restrooms. If you turn it into a Chuck E. Cheese, it still needs a restroom."

If you go

What: Public hearing on Red Clay Theatre expansion
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Red Clay Theatre, 3116 Main St.