Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says he is skeptical of a proposal that the city step in with funding to keep the Market Arcade Film and Arts Center open. The cinema complex inside the Market Arcade is in need of new digital equipment to replace the soon-to-be obsolete film projectors currently in use. The upgrade will cost more than $400,000. and the volunteer board that operates the film and arts center says it can't afford that cost.
Several Common Council members have stepped in with an idea that the city help out. The Council is considering allocating $250,000 in the city's capital budget to fund the digital upgrade.
Mayor Brown says he doesn't think that is necessary.
"I understand the concerns of the Council, but I'm not in favor of this," Brown said. "I don't know if it's necessary. I think we're at a point where private business will be interested in the Market Arcade."
But Ellicott District Council Member Darius Pridgen told The Buffalo News late last week that he "doesn't see many movie theater companies beating down the door to operate in downtown Buffalo."
Council members fear the complex could go dark if the city fails to step in.