Funding Approved for Madrid Theatre

A plan to funnel $500,000 in unused federal earthquake relief funds to the long-awaited Madrid Theatre project got City Council approval Friday.

After taking a few minutes to clarify the source of the funds, the council voted unanimously for the proposal, which officials say will keep the $3.55-million theater project on track for its scheduled opening early in 1998.

The $500,000 comes from federal Housing and Urban Development money given to the city after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

“We’re really pleased to get this,” said Karen Constine, a deputy to Councilwoman Laura Chick.

That money was sought several months ago when the lowest bid for the theater building--apart from surrounding landscaping and improvements--came back about 7% higher than the city’s original estimate. City officials have said a difference of as much as 10% is acceptable.

Residents hope the 500-seat theater and adjacent grounds in the 21600 block of Sherman Way will stand as a symbol of the neighborhood’s rebirth after the earthquake.

Many of them had agitated against the previous occupant of the theater building, an X-rated venue called the Pussycat Theatre. They urged a return to the days of the old Madrid Theatre, a cinema that drew large crowds to the site during the first half of the century.