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Movieplex dodges another eviction



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By Brent Curtis Herald Staff - Published: January 1, 2009

Rutland County's only movie theater appears to have avoided another eviction proceeding.

The owners of the Plaza Movieplex 9, which closed their other movie theater at Westway Plaza in West Rutland last month, have paid off $143,000 of back rent owed to the owners of the Rutland Shopping Plaza, according to Rutland attorney Robert McClallen, who represents Movieplex owners Kipp Mullin and Gerald Couture III.

When Westway Plaza was closed, Mullin said he and Couture would rather concentrate their time and money on the Movieplex.

However last month, the Plaza's owners, Boston-based Centro-Heritage, began eviction proceedings to collect unpaid rent for the months of November, October and September, according to a notice of eviction filed in Rutland Superior Court.

In addition, Rutland lawyer Herb Ogden, who represents Centro-Heritage, said rent checks his clients received from the Movieplex owners for the months of August and July bounced due to insufficient funds.

A court hearing to consider Centro-Heritage's request for an immediate writ of possession is scheduled for Jan. 8.

But McClallen said Wednesday that because of a recent reconciliation with the Plaza's owners and an up to date payment on the rent, the hearing would be canceled.

Neither Ogden nor a representative for Centro-Heritage could be reached for comment Wednesday.

However, earlier in the day, Ogden said he couldn't talk about the case because of "confidential negotiations" between the Movieplex owners and his clients.

The two sides have worked through similar difficulties before.

In April, the Movieplex avoided an eviction proceeding when it settled on a payment plan with Centro-Heritage, to which the theater owed $212,568 at that time.

In a two-page filing with the court in April, the Movieplex and Centro-Heritage agreed to hold off on the eviction process to allow a third amendment of the lease to be made.

In that filing, Centro-Heritage sought to keep the Movieplex on a short leash by adding a clause that would allow them to take possession of the theater immediately if the Movieplex defaulted again on its payments.

The eviction proceedings started in December represent the fifth time the plaza's owners have tried to force the theater out during the past four years.

Contact Brent Curtis at brent.curtis@rutlandherald.com.








READER COMMENTS


Perhaps if it were run better, it would not be sinking so swiftly. The place is a hovel and the employees are not paid very well. I say start courting buyers who may be inclined to run a better operation.
-- Posted by Scott Frank on Wed, Jan 7, 2009, 11:53 am EST

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As it has been proven many times in the City, once something closes it seldoms sees another life. With little, other than barhooping left to do in the city, it would be of the best interests of city residents to try and keep the movie plex, although not a real gem, it's the only game in town, unless you want to fork out $30-$40 for a night out at the Paramount.
-- Posted by Justn Thyme on Fri, Jan 2, 2009, 9:33 am EST

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Like I said....Ba Bye Movieplex DUMP!!!

/
-- Posted by None None on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, 7:31 pm EST

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I'd have to agree, this theater smells funny, the seats suck I am not even over 6 feet tall and i cant get situated so my knees aren't crammed into the seat in front of me. The pop corn is so bad I cant eat it, the soda tastes like water and the candy is left over from the cold war. And on top of that the prices are outrageous.
-- Posted by None None on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, 5:28 pm EST

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I flatout refuse to go to this so-called cinema. If we want to see a movie, we venture over to Glens Falls because the theatres here are filthy, broken down, have tape on the screens, and the concession stands are often closed 5 minutes into the movie. Oh, and the locks on the stalls in the bathroom are all broken. Someone else, be it another local company, or a national theatre chain, needs to take it over and make it a nice place to go. The theatres in Glens Falls are packed to the hilt every time I go there - probably because half the people there are from Rutland County. I can only imagine what the summer people or skiers that decide to take in a movie during their vacations must think. If they can't pay their rent, they won't be making any sustained improvements to their theatres anytime soon. There is definitely some mismanagement going on there.
-- Posted by Concerned Citizen on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, 2:32 pm EST

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As an avid moviegoer I am extremely distressed about the theatre situation in Rutland. It is rare to go to a movie where the movie has no issues, too often there are problems with the sound or picture. The staff has improved a little bit, but the appearance and behavior of the kids that work there is at times very unprofessional. The cost is mind-boggling it costs over 50 dollars for me to bring my wife and 3 kids to a movie, and that's with us sharing drinks and popcorn. Finding a seat with an unidentifiable substance on it is a challenge as well.

With all that being said, it IS the only show in town and with the economic difficulty, movies really are a luxury now anyway. I'm curious if it is a case of serious mismanagement or if it's just a matter of being so buried in backrent that they just don''t have the extra money to improve the facilities. I hope the current owners can get it where it needs to be, or sad to say I think a takeover by someone with the capital to make some serious improvements would be the best.
-- Posted by David Randall on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, 2:25 pm EST

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Having a vibrant, clean and modern movie theatre is absolutely essential to the health of Rutland City's downtown vitality and health. If operated well, an excellent movie theatre in downtown Rutland City has the potential for being the catalyst for a resurgent downtown.

Question: do folks in Rutland avoid going to the movies because the conditions at the Movieplex are sooooo egregious that they choose to stay away and rent from B Buster or Net Flix? If folks are avoiding the Movieplex because of it's alleged cesspool conditions, the city's power brokers need to be proactive, get off their collective bu**s and take whatever steps are necesseary to insure that a superb movie theatre is available in Rutland City.

In my humble opinion, a great movie theatre is every bit as important as a modern recreation center that provides year round activities to the youth, adults and seniors of Rutland City and Rutland County. And yes, the Recreation Center should be built in Rutland City. Shopping at the failing Diamong Run Mall or HD is NOT recreation!!!

The very sad truth is this: life in Rutland City and Rutland County can, at times, be boring in the extreme. A good movie theatre and great recreation center offering year round activities can go a long way in improving the region's economic health and quality of life.

Feel free to disagree. Happy New Year!
-- Posted by Concerned About Rutland on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, 9:51 am EST

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It's a disgusting theater!

Dirty, broken seats, sticky and filthy floors and not to mention the no heat! Going to that theater just isnt worth it and now there are signs on the door that state "No outside food or beverage".

Ba Bye Movieplex!
-- Posted by None None on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, 8:29 am EST

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Yes, this is the only "game in town", but it is poorly run. The price of the movie is fair according to todays pricing; the concession stand however is a joke! $3.00 for a small soda??? In this day's economy, the pricing needs to be more affordable. More folks would be able to frequent the movies if the prices were better. Selling in volume at a fair price brings in more sales than higher pricing. There would be more concession sales if the prices were more reasonable. I'd rather go without than pay the price they are asking for a small cup of soda. It's not such a treat if you stress over the money spent for the little escape from the daily grind. Let's get real here. Rutland needs this business. We need an escape from the harsh reality of today's daily grind. We DO NOT need the guilt of spending for a luxury when we should have spent for a necessity. There would be a lot less businesses closing, if they were not out to fleece the public. Just my opinion.
-- Posted by Bonny Grupe on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, 7:38 am EST

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How many chances do they need?? If this was you or I, we would be flat out on our butts. No one would care. Oh I know it is because it keeps people entertained. So what!!! rent movies. other people are loosing homes they can't afford to pay so why should we keep giving these people chances?
-- Posted by Michelle Burnett on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, 7:11 am EST

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Where does the money go? It certainly insn't re-invested in the theatres. The income is there, mostly because it's the only game in town. This is a prime model of how not to run a business.
-- Posted by Concerned Citizen on Thu, Jan 1, 2009, 5:55 am EST

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