The Black Hills Playhouse has been in a “fight of it’s life” since last fall when the State Game Fish & Parks Department notified the board that they would not be renewing their ten year lease and would be requiring the board to pay $300,000 for a new septic system on a one year lease. In November the BHP Board filed a lawsuit against GF&P. In January the state brought in inspectors and condemned most of the buildings on the Playhouse site. At that point the BHP Board took their plight to the legislature. The result is a bill that passed the Senate 26 to 8 and the House 65 to 4. Below is a synopsis of the bill:

SB102 extends the lease between the Playhouse and state Game Fish & Parks Commission until September30, 2019, with the requirement that the Playhouse correct building code violations by September 30, 2012. If the violations are not corrected by that date, the lease ends. The bill also requires the Playhouse to use at least 5 percent of its annual operating budget on maintenance and repair of buildings. The state Game Fish & Parks Department must be involved in the maintenance plans. The Playhouse also agrees to share in the cost of replacing infrastructure to operate the facility.