Film studio suffers financial setback

Jeffrey Libby

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2002 | 11:24 a.m.

A proposed $44 million Boulder City movie studio appears to have ended its run as a Hollywood-sized dream.

Boulder City native Anna Maria Davis, who was granted a new lease last month to build the studio in a city-owned World War II-era hangar, delivered a check for back rent Monday and then asked for it back on Wednesday.

She said she didn't have the money to cover the $117,360 she owed for rent of the hangar and surrounding acreage. She has rented the studio for about two years but has been unable to obtain money to fund her proposal to bring feature films and good-paying career jobs to the town.

"I'm sure it means she doesn't have the investment," Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro said. "It's a dead issue."

The back rent was due Friday, a day the city is closed for business. So the Monday delivery of the check appeared to meet the first deadline in the terms of the lease approved Oct. 22. But with the return of the check, the deadline has been missed.

"The reality of it is, the council said she would have to meet the deadline or its over," Councilman Joe Hardy said. "I don't think the council is in the mood to make extensions at this point."

Hardy said, however, that a new proposal could be considered. "I'm not opposed to looking at it again, but it would be a new playing field," he said.

Davis says the movie studio can be built.

"I'd like to have good faith and work as a partnership with the city," Davis said. "This is a big deal. The majority of the people, very intelligent, well-educated people, want this."

The city has shown leniency on other projects that lease city-owned land, Davis said. The proposed Red Ridge golf course has lingered for more than a year without being built. The lessee of the hangar before Davis paid just $1 a year in rent.