No events scheduled at Convention Hall complex after May 1
Grand Arcade would also be closed if issue over fire safety requirements not resolved
No events are scheduled at the Convention Hall complex after May 1, and a long-running issue over a requirement to install sprinklers may leave the building closed indefinitely. Closure would affect all areas, including the Grand Arcade [shown above].
The state fire code was changed in 2006 to require public facilities like the Convention Hall complex to install a sprinkler system, said fire chief Kevin Keddy. The city and Madison Marquette, the boardwalk redeveloper which owns the building, signed a consent order last year requiring the sprinklers to be installed by 2015, as long as certain benchmarks were met along the way, Keddy said.
But Madison Marquette says it operates the Paramount Theater, Convention Hall and the Grand Arcade at a loss every year, and the cost of the sprinkler installation makes it untenable to keep the whole building open.
“The prohibitive expense of sprinklering the building was discussed when the recent agreement was reached, and the consent order includes a section which allows Madison to forego installing sprinklers and close the building if ‘continued operation of the Convention Hall Complex is not economically feasible’,” said Madison Marquette senior vice president Anselm Fusco in a statement.
“The requirement to install sprinklers in nearly all of historic Convention Hall is very expensive — we’ve received quotes for the work in excess of $1 million,” said Fusco. “The building is costly to operate — it runs at a significant loss every year — and to invest so much additional capital in this situation is not economically feasible.”
The city and the redeveloper are currently looking for a solution, Fusco said, which could result in a modification in the use and operation of the building. No events were scheduled in the Paramount, Convention Hall or the Grand Arcade after May 1 because it was unknown if a financially feasible solution to the sprinkler issue could be found, he said.
“Pending the outcome of these conversations, Madison Marquette has not scheduled any events in the Paramount Theater, Convention Hall or Grand Arcade after May 1 because we do not yet know if we will find a financially viable way to keep the building open,” Fusco said.
“We did everything in consultation with the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety,” said Keddy, in reference to the various administrative actions taken by the city going back to 2007 requiring the sprinkler installation, including the most recent consent order.
Madison Marquette may be granted a delay in implementing the sprinkler installation benchmarks because of Hurricane Sandy, said Keddy, as the consent order allows extra time in the event of a natural disaster.
Individual special events can still be held, as permits for specific events at a specific time can be granted under the fire code, he said. Madison Marquette can also continue to operate the building if it meets the benchmarks toward sprinkler installation, which include submitting plans, choosing contractors and beginning the work, according to Keddy.
The fire code has no provision to waive the sprinkler system requirement because of excessive costs of installation, Keddy said.
Meanwhile, both the city and Madison Marquette continue to search for a solution to avoid shutting down the Convention Hall complex.
The city wants to find a solution, but the requirements of the fire safety code must be met, said Keddy. “No one wants to see it closed. I don’t want to see it closed. It’s not good for anyone,” he said.
“We are engaged in conversations with city officials on this issue, and are hopeful that we can find a way to modify how the building is currently used, comply with all code requirements, and continue to keep some or most of this great building open to the public,” said Fusco.
