Chatham Capitol Theatre staff worked with the local business improvement area to move a couple of benches in Chatham’s downtown, a move that has some people, including the folks who paid for the benches, unhappy.
Janine Carr of MADD C-K said the organization placed the benches there in the fall of 2017.
The effort was part of their 30th anniversary celebrations, and cost about $5,000.
“Through fundraising efforts of our own, we are proud to have benches where people could reflect on lost loved ones,” Carr said back in 2017. “The Capitol Theatre seemed like the perfect place.”
Lesley Grand, manager of the theatre at the time, agreed.
“So many people who come here for the various events will use them,” she said. “And the benches are used by people just walking up and down King Street. It’s a good reminder about the message from MADD, and it helps get the Capitol Theatre a little more noticed.”
But current theatre manager Heather Slater said the benches were causing problems, and the plan to move them had been in the works for some time.
“They have become a gathering place. Some days, two or three people, some days, six,” she said. “And the benches happen to be in front of our marquee windows where we place our advertisements,” she said.
Furthermore, Slater said “a lot” of the theatre’s patrons were commenting on people gathering at the benches and that some said they did not feel safe.
Slater said discarded syringes have been found around the benches as well.
“I can think of three times where we found needles around the front of the theatre,” she said.
“There was a lot of interaction happening between the folks gathering on the benches and patrons coming in for concerts,” she said, adding some of those loitering about would get into scuffles with one another.
“This was getting out of our control. Some of my staff, at times before a show, when they should have been at the sound booth or lighting board, were out in front of the theatre breaking up fights. This is a concern for everyone’s safety here.”
To provide additional seating for patrons waiting to attend shows or waiting for a ride home, Slater said the theatre has increased the number of seats in the foyer and lobby.
Carr said no one contacted the local MADD chapter about moving the benches. She now worries the overseers at MADD may not be happy with the new locations of the benches.
“We had to write a proposal (to MADD) to explain why we wanted to put them there,” she said. “We had originally talked about Tecumseh Park, but MADD wasn’t in favour of it. They wanted them where people can see them.”
Paul Shettel of the Historic Downtown Chatham BIA said on social media the BIA helped move the benches to the other side of the street.
“People sleeping on them was not good for the theatre patrons,” he explained in a post.
But Carr, and others, said they’ve never seen homeless people sleeping on the benches.
Shettel said Hope Haven opens its doors from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., so overnight sleeping is not an issue, but it is a problem at other times.
Carr remained skeptical.
“The homeless shelter puts them out at 7 a.m. When I go by at 8 a.m., if they are still tired, they’d be there,” she said. “I’ve never seen any homeless person sleeping on the benches, ever.”
Local resident Hans van der Doe commented on the issue on social media. He said he made frequent visits through the area at various times during the day and night and didn’t spot anyone sleeping on the benches.
“Either I keep missing them, they run when they see my Jeep, or was it that the Capitol folks just don’t like benches,” he said.
Meanwhile, Slater said moving the benches has already solved the problem for the theatre.
“It’s only been a few weeks, but we haven’t had any troubles since.”
But Carr doesn’t think just moving the benches will solve much, if anything.
“What’s going to happen when Mama Maria’s (restaurant) complains? We didn’t solve the problem,” she said. “Instead of moving the benches, we should address the issue. Our homeless issue is 15-17 men. How do bigger cities handle it? They have many more homeless than we do.”
