What would you do if the roof on the house you rent suddenly caved in. You would probably get on the phone to your landlord, and tell him/her to get their ass on over and fix it. Then the landlord would be responsible for any inconvenience you suffered along with the caved in roof. That’s a dilemma the city of Albany faces as they re-negotiate their lease with the non-profit Palace Performing Arts Center. Under their current agreement with the city, they are responsible for structural repairs to the building, as well as it’s routine maintenance. That sounds like a lease deal the county of Albany would enter into. There is no way a lessee would ever be responsible for the structural integrity of a building. The city has no choice but to take on that responsibility. It appears that a councilperson has reservations about the deal, citing the lack of information on what shape the building is currently in. It really doesn’t matter what shape the building is in. You own it. If you want information on the building, there is a Licensed Professional Engineer who sits in City Hall, and I’m sure she and her staff are eminently qualified to make an assessment of the building. With a new lease in place, then it’s the responsibility of Palace Performing Arts to fill the building. I hope that it receives the state development money they applied for — which the council was all in for — to make the long needed expansion to accommodate the Albany Symphony Orchestra. There is also no reason why the city couldn’t negotiate a percentage of the profits (if and when the lessee can turn a profit) into a lease agreement. There is no way anyone would accept the responsibility of the building, so make a deal with the people who are already there. This is going to get done one way or another, so can the mayor, and the council please get on the same page for once without all the back and forth. The Palace is Albany history; an Albany anchor. It’s also over eighty years old. If you take a good look, I bet it’s probably in better shape then you think.
And that is “The Daily Take”