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Theatre lease breached but not cancelled

Nelson’s city manager says formal notice has been served on the partners behind the Nelson Cinemax that they are in breach of their lease, but the agreement has not yet been terminated.
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Kirk Nielsen and a group of partners planned to refurbish the city's movie theatre.

Nelson’s city manager says formal notice has been served on the partners behind the Nelson Cinemax that they are in breach of their lease, but the agreement has not yet been terminated.

“In any contract you have to give someone the right to remedy any fault,” Kevin Cormack says.

The consortium that took over the old Civic Theatre in September has missed deadlines to complete renovations and reopen.

However, Cormack says given the amount already invested, it makes sense to try to work with the partners first instead of putting the theatre back out for proposals.

“They can come back and either renegotiate the agreement or propose a new one,” he says. “We need to get the thing fixed and see where they’re at.”

Meanwhile, the uncertainty has left some prospective employees puzzled.

One woman who was interviewed for a job in September says she got along well with the partners, describing them as young, gregarious, and friendly.

However, she heard nothing more until getting a panicked phone call two months later from one of them saying he needed a projectionist.

Although interested in training to become one, she didn’t yet have the qualifications. She checked with friends to see if they could do it, but when she got back to him a few weeks later, he didn’t return her calls.

Kirk Nielsen, one of the partners, said Thursday he was unable to comment as he’s seeking legal advice.