BETHEL — A state law that would require more bathroom stalls in the Casablanca Cinema has ended an effort to reopen it, said Courtney Bennett of Bethel.
Bennett and her husband, Mike, have been working since March to reopen the four-theater facility at Bethel Station. It closed in 2012.
The cinema first opened in 1994, with three bathroom stalls each for men and women, Bennett said Friday. The building can accommodate about 450 people, she said.
Their plans called for upgrading two of the screens to digital projection, at a cost of $100,000, she said, and for using a third screen to play DVDs. The fourth theater was to be converted to a 40-seat pub for about $30,000, Bennett said.
She said the bank required another revenue source besides the two theaters, prompting the pub plan.
But there they ran into trouble. Because the pub is considered a change of use, an updated state code that went into effect in 2009 would have required that 10 new bathroom stalls be added, at a cost of $25,000 to $30,000, she said. The Bennetts learned of that requirement early last month.
Since then, she said, they have been trying to find a solution. Bennett said she had contacted state Rep. Fran Head for help, but nothing could be done about getting around the law. Bennett also looked into adding bathrooms, but logistics of the building and the estimated cost prevented it, she said.
About $11,000 had been contributed through an online fundraiser by other people supporting the reopening effort, Bennett said. She plans to return the money.
Bennett said she will lose about $2,500 of her own money she had put into the process. She said she and her husband had a five-year lease lined up, and had been scheduled to finalize a bank loan of $150,000 on June 30, and to take occupancy of the building July 1.
“I feel like I’ve let the community down,” she said.
The bathroom requirement has left her frustrated, she said. “I can’t fight state government. At some point, who else can I turn to?”
Bennett said she would email everyone who contributed money to arrange refunds. She said if for some reason contributors do not hear from her, they may contact her at cjrichards74@yahoo.com.
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