Theatre Dublin to get new fire alarm system

A local electric company was approved to install a new fire alarm system at Theatre Dublin by the Downtown Development Authority.

The board approved the bid of Moye Electric Inc. for a total cost of $24,500. Downtown Development Authority operations manager Nichole Padgett informed the board that they recently had a fire inspection and needed to fix the items mentioned in that report. That  included not only the alarm system, but also the exit signs and security lights need to be changed. 

“We need to do this now,” said DDA Executive Director Glenda Berry. “This is such specialized work that needs to be done.” 

Padgett told the board she checks all of the DDA venues to make sure there are no leaks and everything is clean.  

The stair case on the outside of Theatre Dublin and the outside doors were recently painted.  

“It looks much better,” Padgett said. “We went around and fixed the broken blue seats.” 

As far as repairs, at the Carnegie building they did some cosmetic improvements and painting inside. 

“The ceiling tiles were messed up due to the storms we’ve had in the past,” Padgett said. “They are being repaired, and that will look great and amazing.” 

During a Downtown Merchants meeting held the previous week, it was brought up that some people were parking near the ramp going to Deano’s. 

“Somebody was parking there and blocked the ramp,” Berry said. “We can’t have that because of the ADA (the Americans with Disabilities Act). After the merchant’s meeting, we met and proposed that the one parking space becomes a fire lane. If it’s a fire lane, then the police department can fine them or do something. Right now, nothing can be done.”

The board approved a fire lane for this area “in an effort to continue to be proactive in that parking lot,” Berry said. 

“We’ve had people park there and block the ramp, which is an entrance into the building. Turning it into a fire lane will be able to make sure that people aren’t blocking the wheelchair access to the restaurant. We want to make sure the access parts are not being blocked.” 

The board  later approved Uniform Paving and Seal Coating LLC to do the parking lot at Market on Madison.

“Now that Madison Street has been beautifully completed, we are ready to go back and re-visit the parking lot on Madison,” Berry said. “The gentleman with this company has done this work for Market on Madison before.”

When asked about when work would begin, the board suggested the company know that the work needed to begin after March 15. They want the work to be completed by April 4, which is when the local farmers market will start.

The wintry weather, and very cold temperatures that happened the evening of Jan. 31, caused the postponement of the showing of “Smokey and the Bandit.” The new date has been set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 7.

“I’m happy that we moved it because it was so cold,” Berry said. “We’re optimistic that the weather is going to be better when we get into March.” 

Todd Gay will speak about his father, Ronnie, who played a Georgia State Patrol trooper in the movie. Matt Meeks will lead in the movie’s trivia.

“It’s going to be the exact same program that we had planned (for Jan. 31),” Berry said. “Somebody will bring their identical ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ Trans Am that is going to be parked in front of the theater for photo opportunities. We’ve had a great response to ‘Smokey and the Bandit.’”

Tickets are $3 for individuals and $5 for couples. 

“We really want to have a lot of community members come to this,” Berry said.  

In other meeting news:

– Board member Jason Keyton discussed the Sip and Shop held in December.

“We sold about 65 percent of our cups that we got for a first-time event and we had a lot of positive feedback from every vendor,” Keyton said. “We were very thankful for that. We had a little conflict with everything that was going on. We are looking forward to doing another one in the spring. From what we did, we got a lot of positive feedback. We are hoping this is something we can grow.”

– Member Josh Crews talked about the upcoming Pig in the Park, which will be held on Friday, Feb. 27 and 28. Country singer Will Moseley will present a free concert.

“We are investing a lot into (the Pig in the Park) this year as the DDA, which should create more exposure,” Crews said. “It should be a good time, and we should have a big crowd.”

When Moseley performed at the Music and Munchies in 2025, more than 3,000 people paid to attend. The DDA is expecting more for a free concert.

– Berry talked about the DDA’s “Live. Love. Local.” Valentine’s Day promotion from Feb. 8 through Feb. 14. When people make a $25 transaction, they will take a photo of their receipt and send it to the DDA.

“We will have drawings with cash and gift cards,” Berry said. “We will announce the winners at Jackson Plaza on Valentine’s Day.”

– Berry announced that Dublin Community Theatre recently held auditions for “Annie.” 

“We had 66 people audition and a cast of 50 people,” Berry said. “It will be our biggest show. We believe it is going to be a successful show. The Dublin Community Theatre would not be here without the support of the DDA.” 

– Padgett brought up the upcoming farmers market, which will be held between April 4 through Oct. 11, which ends up being 28 weeks. As of the day of the DDA meeting, she said they had 28 vendors for this year’s market. She added that they had secured $5,000 sponsorship from Fairview Park Hospital for the farmers market.

“(FPH) comes one Saturday (a month) for our kid’s crafts,” Padgett said.