ELKINS, W.Va. — Despite an announcement to the contrary earlier this week, it is not business as usual at the American Mountain Theater. Instead, the show will not go on, at least for now, the theater’s owner, Kenny Sexton, said Friday.
Sexton said it has been a busy two days for remaining staff members at the theater, after five cast members quit following Wednesday’s regularly scheduled performance. This has forced theater officials to cancel the remainder of its 2015 regular season and comes on the heels of the announcement the property that houses the AMT is being sold.
Wednesday’s Inter-Mountain broke the news that American Mountain Theater officials announced a $2.2 million agreement that would transfer ownership of its downtown property to Summit Church of Elkins, which plans extensive renovations for the facility. The day the article published is the same day the staff resignations occurred, Sexton said.
Rumors began circulating about the sale and departing staff. Some indicated there was a walk-off during a performance. However, Sexton said that was not the case.
“They (the resigning cast) did not walk off the stage,” Sexton clarified.
“They completed Wednesday night’s show. Five cast members left with no notice, which in my book is just not acceptable, but that’s what they did.”
Departing cast members are Denny, Jeremiah, Joel and Jesse Franks and Brad Gum. Jeremiah Franks had previously submitted his resignation, effective at the end of the current season, but didn’t work out his full given notice, Sexton said. Three of the cast members have been with the company since 2007, one has been at AMT for seven years and another for three years, he explained.
When contacted by The Inter-Mountain, all departing employees issued a joint statement delaying comment until next week, saying, “We need to wait until Monday.”
However, their departure resulted in law enforcement being called to the theater, Sexton said. Following Wednesday’s show, the West Virginia State Police were called to assist at the AMT.
“One of the cast members that quit threatened to whip somebody,” Sexton said. “They (the State Police) were called not because anybody did anything, but just to assure calm while those cast members took the items that belonged to them out of the theater. It was precautionary on my part.”
A representative from the Elkins detachment of the WVSP did confirm that Trooper First Class J.R. Wince responded to AMT Wednesday night for undisclosed reasons. Sexton said no arrests were made and no citations were issued.
Randolph County 911 Director Cindy Hart said Friday that the call center did not receive any calls to service at AMT on Wednesday. She also said no calls came in on Sunday for response to the church, which had been reported on social media.
The church has been meeting for its Sunday morning worship services at AMT’s 530-seat auditorium for the past three-and-a-half years.
In a press release earlier this week announcing the pending sale, officials from both sides stressed that AMT operations would continue as usual and that the only change was the theater would be leasing the space from the church, instead of the church leasing the space from AMT.
Following the news of the sale and the cast members’ departure, theater officials have been fielding calls from concerned citizens and ticket buyers and making arrangements for those who already have made purchases.
“As a result (of the cast members leaving), the quality of the show that I put on here, I cannot replace five people in 24 hours. So, yes, I did in fact cancel the remaining regular-season shows. We have been on a marathon for two days calling our customers, our ticket buyers, our package customers, rescheduling them and refunding them.”
In the meantime, patrons were referred to the Gandy Dancer Theater, Sexton said.
“We gave them the business,” he said. “We lost the revenue.”
The overall impact on AMT was the cancellation of eight shows, three this week and five next week, Sexton explained. Eight buses and one senior center bus were rescheduled, with the total number of affected people estimated at 335 to 420, Sexton said.
A Nov. 7 performance by Rhonda Vincent and The Rage and a Nov. 8 performance by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound still are on, as is the theater’s annual Christmas Spectacular, he said as of Friday afternoon.
“A week ago today (Friday), I sat the cast right here,” Sexton said gesturing to a row of seats within the theater. “I had like three or four things on the list, and I explained to them that we were selling the building, we were taking a five-year lease back first and potentially other leases or potentially building another theater next door here. But, their jobs went on, everybody had their jobs, nobody was terminated. Nothing. Prior to that time, there was no disagreement about anything. In fact, on their part, the disagreement is like, ‘You didn’t give us a chance to buy it (the theater). ‘”
“Well, I don’t have to give anybody a chance,” Sexton added. “However, for nine years, none of the people who were unhappy never came to me and said, ‘Hey, if you ever get tired, if you ever want to retire, if you ever want to get out, please let us have a chance. We want to buy it.’ That never happened. I thought it (the sale) was a no-brainer. You get your jobs, life goes on, we have tons of improvements to the building. It was just like explosive. And, I’ll be quite frank with you, I still don’t understand it.”
In addition to cast woes, which Sexton says he believes stem from not giving the talent first right to purchase the building, the fact the property lies within the Rail Yard also has raised red flags within the community. The Rail Yard complex falls under covenants of the Randolph County Development Authority, which is like a commercial version of a home owner’s association.
The covenants outline what types of businesses may occupy space within the Rail Yard, and the rules remain in effect even when property is conveyed through sale.
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RCDA TO MEET MONDAY
The Randolph County Development Authority has scheduled a special meeting at 8 a.m. Monday at its offices to discuss the issue with counsel, said RCDA Executive Director Robbie Morris.
“At this time, we are unsure how this sale would impact any future sale of the land,” “The types of business that can occupy the Elkins Rail Yard are described generally in the Elkins Rail Yard Covenants and Standards. This is a legal issue that has not been addressed by the RCDA Board of Directors to date.”
According to the 2000 covenants, which The Inter-Mountain obtained in part from Sexton and via a Freedom of Information Act request to the RCDA, “The following use regulations shall run with the land and shall apply to all lots in the Elkins Rail Yard. Lots shall be used for commercial businesses, public and private offices, residential developments with certain restrictions, common areas (e.g. Town Square), and recreational purposes only. Examples of approved uses include … (sections K and L) recreational facilities including parks, multi-use trails, and public performance venues; mixed-use buildings containing commercial or public uses on the ground floor and residential or office uses on the upper floors. …”
“There are covenants,” Sexton said. “The covenants that applies to me and this piece of property are the 2000 version of the Rail Yard Covenants. “At that time, there’s no theater named in the covenant. There is item L, a commercial use public building that can be something on the ground floor. It is just like a catch-all. After I built the theater, as they revised their covenants, they added the word theater. As far as I’m concerned, it still falls under the same covenant, the same item, and I would say a mix-use building could be a theater or a church. I am not an attorney, but that’s my interpretation of it, and I feel strongly that will be the case.”
When asked what concerns the RCDA has about this real-estate sale, Morris responded, “We are not prepared to comment at this time. ”
However, he did indicate Monday’s special RCDA meeting would be “discussion of issues arising from the proposed sale of the American Mountain Theater to Summit Church.”
The Inter-Mountain plans to cover this meeting and will publish an updated story in Tuesday’s edition.
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THEATER HISTORY AND SALE TO SUMMIT CHURCH
The property on which the American Mountain Theater is located was purchased by Melvin L. Heckel on Oct. 31, 2006. Heckel is the uncle of Beverly Sexton, Kenny’s wife, and he is a longtime contractor in the area.
The original sale price of the land, which was owned by the Randolph County Development Authority, was $240,000, and the purchaser agreed to abide by the Elkins Rail Yard Covenants and Standards in effect at the time the property was purchased.
The Sextons initially planned to lease the facility from Heckel, Sexton said. Later, they eventually entered into an agreement to purchase the building, once completed. The theater’s opening night was July 27, 2007, and the couple closed on the purchase of the property in late October or early November 2007, Sexton recalled.
“He (Heckel) agreed to build a building for us,” Sexton said. “During the construction, he came to us and asked me if instead of doing a lease, if I would buy it. So, we did. He bought the lot and started construction. He backed out, we bought it, so Bev and I have been the owners ever since.”
The Sextons personally lease the building to the American Mountain Theater, Sexton said.
As for the pending deal, Sexton explained he originally approached Summit Church in August about selling the theater, then AMT leasing space back from the church for at least five years. Sexton’s selling price is $1.8 million, with renovations expected to cost between $400,000 to $500,000, he said Friday.
“We had an offer, and it was our intention to do the closing in ’16 in the early to mid-point of ’16, at the point that the renovations and expansion is done under my leadership. In other words, I’m going to be here, I’m going to make sure it’s done right so nothing is messed up. So, I’m going to oversee the contractors that do the work.”
“I can’t tell you the exact date (of this sale), except to say three or fours months into 2016,” Sexton added. “I have given my word to the church that I will sell it to them, and they have given their word to me that they will buy it.”
Also, prior to announcing the sale of the building, Sexton said he approached the RCDA earlier this month with interest in building a parking lot on the tract of land in Rail Yard that is adjacent to the theater. Sexton said he wanted to hold that property in reserve for potential future construction of another theater, noting his deed indicates only he may approve another theater within the complex. The parking lot idea was not well received, Sexton said, and he did not move forward with purchasing additional land from the RCDA. He said the rules prohibit holding on to land for future use and that a parking lot was not considered to be a viable project at this time.
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RENOVATIONS
Summit Church originally intending to build a $7 million facility on church property on the outskirts of Elkins, before considering the purchase of AMT.
Renovations to the theater will include a secure two-story children’s ministry wing to include multiple classrooms on the back of the current building, changes to the front of the facility, minor renovations to the lobby and added office and storage space in the area available above the lobby.
Renovations are scheduled to begin in January, and church officials said they hope the work will be completed by spring or early summer 2016.
To pay for the purchase price and work to the building, the church has undertaken a funding campaign titled Climb.
“Climb is about reaching more people for Jesus,” reads the Project Need section of Summit Church’s website. “The decisions we make today affect not only our generation, but generations to come. When you walk through our community, you cannot help but see needs, hurts and questions. Acting as God’s hands and feet, through our newly renovated facility, we will be able to meet those needs, heal those hurts and answer those questions.”
According to its website, Summit Church was founded in 1991 in the living room of one of its members. The original congregation size was about 18 people. From there, the church has grown exponentially and now offers men’s and women’s ministries, youth ministry, a vacation Bible school, small-group worship, mission trips and a recovery program.
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Publisher and General Manager Heather Goodwin Henline and Senior Staff Writer Chris Lee also contributed to this story.
