(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one in a series of articles about the development of a new downtown theater in Great Bend.)

Bringing a new multiple-screen motion picture theater to downtown Great Bend will be the realization of a great many economic development hopes, but it won’t be cheap.
While the lion’s share of financing for the development of Golden Belt Cinema 6 will be accomplished with private funding, the city will have a hand in the project, and the details of that involvement will be consider at the next council meeting, scheduled for Dec. 5.
Mayor Mike Allison commented at Monday nights’ council meeting that every economic development plan for the community for years has included the need for a new theater, and the community was excited this past year when local businessmen Dennis Call and Chad Sommers invested about a half million dollars in purchasing and renovating the current triple theater on west 10th Street. Call and Sommers told the council Monday night this next step will be an even larger investment and will be a huge step towards making the community an important destination for this region of the state. Call explained the plan is for there to be new construction for a smaller facility for Bank of the West, as the south end of the block, where the part of the current parking lot is located.
Then the current bank building will be demolished and the new six-screen theater will be constructed. He explained there will be three sizes of theaters in the development, from one large theater to the smaller, which will still seat about 70.
Allison noted that the city has set aside $100,000 for a downtown theater project. With this project underway, it will now consider to “make a $300,000 contribution from the sales tax incentive fund to DC Real Estate Holdings for the theater project,” according to information from the city presented Monday night.
Other incentives from the city would include, if finalized:
• Issuance of industrial revenue bonds “for the entire theater project, including the new bank facility. The money for the IRBs would not involve the obligation of city funds as the money would be from private sources. In the unlikely event of a default of the IRBs, the city would have no liability.”
• The city would also “support and submit a request for the issuance of a 10-year property tax abatement for 100 percent of the project eligible for the IRBs.
• The city would develop a Community Improvement District for 15 years. It was explained Monday night the CID, which would only impact the movie theater, would add a 2 percent cost, something like an extra sales tax, that would benefit the theater project, but would not affect any other downtown businesses.
• The city would “contribute one half of the expense of the attorney fees ... for the issuance of the IRBs, estimated at about $13,000.”
It was noted that private funding will come from a variety of sources. “Funds contributed for this theater project from the CPI Trust, the Harms Trust, or the CUNA Mutual Trust would not be money that would be an obligation of the city or involve the city. Those funds would go directly to DC Real Estate Holding from those trusts.”
The city package will be voted on at the next city council meeting, planned for Dec. 5. The schedule calls for the new theaters to open around April, 2013, it was added.