T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Fridley Plaza 9 Theater General Manager Karen Albert wants Marshalltown residents to know the theater is open for business. It was never closed after the electricity was shut off in the common areas of the Marshalltown Mall.

The Fridley Plaza 9 Theater at the Marshalltown Mall is open for business. General Manager Karen Albert said many people have inquired about if the theater was closed and when it was going to reopen. Despite the electricity being shut off in the common areas of the mall and the parking lots during the first week of November, the theater strove to make sure the doors stayed open.

“We never closed, we’re still here, and it’s safe to come here,” she said. “At first it was frustrating. We didn’t have any lights. We got a hold of WEB Electric, and John Fox is my saving grace. Even though he is super busy, he is very community-oriented. He helped us out, and got along with the fire marshal and chief. They never wanted to shut us down.”

It was determined Fridley would have to take on lighting the emergency exits and hallways immediately on the outside of the theater. Albert said they also had to take over heating a small area in the interior of the mall because there were water pipes.

“It’s all for safety, and we were fine with it,” she said. “All that has been mitigated. The fire marshal signed off and said we were good to go.”

Marshalltown Fire Marshal Josh Warnell said the theater is isolated and has full protection. Permission was obtained from mall management to do the necessary alterations.

“No businesses are being closed,” he said. “They are open and functioning. They will continue to be open and functioning until, barring an emergency where something might break and we would have to isolate water. At that time, we would have to close buildings and who is affected.”

In addition to making sure the sprinkler system is running smoothly for Plaza 9, Warnell said the fire alarms are in good-working condition.

“They have the life-saving systems in place,” he said.

To ensure everything stays safe, Warnell said he visits the theater, and the other mall businesses which are still open, every day. He added he has not heard when the electricity will be turned back on.

“We’re going by the situation, and seeing if we can keep them open during these cold months,” Warnell said. “We’re just going day-by-day and getting everything done that we can.”

T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM — WEB Electric staff and Marshalltown Fire Department Marshal Josh Warnell discuss the installation of flood lights on the exterior of the movie theater. The theater has taken steps to ensure the parking lot is well lit. Plaza 9 staff also hung a bright yellow sign to let the public know they are open for business, despite rumors to the contrary.

Misconceptions

Albert said there are misconceptions going around Marshalltown which she wanted to clear up. First, the theater never closed. Because so many people thought the theater was not open, movie attendance dropped significantly.

“It’s been really, really bad,” she said.

Faith-based movies are typically huge draws for Plaza 9. Albert said the movie “Journey to Bethlehem” barely attracted any attendees. Normally, word gets out of those types of movies amongst the Marshalltown churches. However, Albert said people believed they were closed.

“We get calls every day asking if we’re open yet,” she said. “We’re not going to close. We’re not going anywhere. Movies are a great escape for people.”

Albert said many families have a tradition of attending a movie at Plaza 9 during the Christmas season. Normally, she has to hire temporary staff, but due to the drop of patrons, she has not been able to do that.

Second, neither the City of Marshalltown nor the Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce paid for anything to allow the theater to continue operation.

“Each business is paying for its own bill,” Albert said. “Our support comes from people coming here, buying tickets and concessions.”

Third, she stressed they have made the movie-going experience safe for patrons and for the staff. Flood lights were installed on the exterior, and the mall owner has placed temporary parking lot lights to illuminate the area at night.

“You can safely get to your car,” she said. “The mall comes out every night, puts some gas in the temporary lights for a while. I don’t know when they’re going to pay the bill, if they’re going to pay the bill. I just hope this company is one of integrity and our mall can start thriving again. No more doom and gloom. It’s the season of hope.”

Albert said Fridley CEO Russell Vannorsdel has continued to pay rent to Marshalltown Mall owner Mike Kohan, who did not pay for utilities, leading to the electricity being shut off by Alliant.

“We were frustrated, but asked what we had to do to survive,” she said. “We’ve been through what in Marshalltown? The tornado, the derecho, COVID, and we’re still here. People want us to be here. It was never doom and gloom. It was more ‘What are we going to do to make this happen?’ All of the outside businesses – we were able to still be open with the threat of the sprinkler system freezing and water pipes breaking.”

Albert said Vannorsdel talked to Kohan and got permission to take appropriate action. Adversity, she said, can build character if people allow that. Albert said they wanted to figure out the best way to strive forward.

That positive thinking and action is bringing shows which she believes will be well received in Marshalltown. Albert said people will be able to enjoy the upcoming “Wonka” and “Migration” movies, along with a special showing of the series “The Chosen” in February.

“We would love people to come here,” she said. “We have some good movies coming out, and we’re excited about that.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.