The Grand Cane Board of Aldermen had a full agenda for their July meeting on Monday evening.  Items approved include welcoming a new business and increasing the monthly rent for the BackAlley Community Theatre.

Coushatta businesswoman Vicki Murray proposed bringing her business “In High Cotton” to Grand Cane.  The board agreed to rent her an upstairs space in Hicks and Richardson. 

Murray said she has antiques, new, and primitive items that she will offer for sale.  She passed around pictures of her stock and several people said they were ready to place orders.  In the near future, Murray will begin moving merchandise into her new store.

The issue that occupied most of the meeting was a proposal that the BackAlley Community Theatre begin paying the same rent rate as other businesses occupying space owned by the town.  That rate is 25-cents per square foot, a figure Alderman Ed Campbell called “cheap rent.”

The  theatre has been paying $50 a month.  They argued that going from that to over $800 per month rent was too large a sudden increase for their budget to handle.  Campbell argued that the theatre could use some of its reserve or surplus to pay the rent.

The final vote was to increase BackAlley’s rent to the same level paid by all occupants of the city owned properties.

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