Putting a community theater at Memorial Boulevard will likely cost about $8.1 million, according to a preliminary estimate by the architects that city officials plan to hire Thursday.
The Simsbury-based Schoenhardt Architecture + Interior Design was far and away the top pick of city officials who reviewed submissions from 14 firms to carry out the initial design work for the project.
Both City Purchasing Agent Roger Rousseau and City Councilor Craig Minor said the firm put an impressive amount of work into its initial proposal to the city.
The Community Theater Committee plans to recommend hiring the firm for $72,900 at its meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday in the meeting room on the first floor of City Hall.
The architects included a time schedule that estimated detailed plans could be done by year’s end, with construction bids solicited next spring. A new theater could open as soon as the summer of 2010, the firm indicated.
However, it’s unclear at this point where the $8.1 million would come from, particularly given Comptroller Glenn Klocko’s recent recommendation that the city refrain from taking on any elective projects until Bristol’s debt load decreases.
Schoenhardt’s plan calls for putting an addition on the rear of the existing Boulevard School stage that would include a loading dock, performers’ space, an office, storage for props and other equipment and more.
It also eyes the possibility of putting another small addition on the north side of the school that would serve as a lobby and ticket office for the theater.
In a preliminary sketch included with the firm’s presentation, the lobby appears as a glassed-in structure that blends with the historic architecture of the school only in part.
The rear addition would be much closer to the existing style of the post-World War I building that originally served as Bristol’s high school.
According to the architects’ estimates, it will cost about $2.2 million to renovate the existing building, $2.7 million to add the rear addition, $500,000 to put up the lobby, $1.1 million to renovate the stage and theater and $600,000 to purchase needed theater equipment, furniture and fixtures.
All of the fiscal estimates are subject to change as the experts delve more deeply into the project, perhaps discovering alternatives that would cheaper, or perhaps more costly.
Schoenhardt has extensive experience working with theaters and schools. It designed the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center, worked on the lobby of Hartford Stage, designed the Greater Hartford Classical Magnet School and worked on renovations at the Thomaston Opera House, the Bushnell Theater and the Newport Opera House in Newport, R.I.
The theater committee’s recommendation would head to the City Council in April for final approval.
Rousseau said he’s working on the contract terms with Schoenhardt so that the architects can get to work quickly once the city gives the green light.
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
26 comments:
A helluva lot less than what Couture was proposing.
And the annual cost shouil be less also.
I thought that this was to be part of the Downtown effort, with help from the state!
There was no mention of any accessability for handicapped people. How will someone in a wheel chair get into the auditorium???
$8.1 million dollars for a venue to feed the egos of wannabe actors and occasional fourth tier entertainment and the architect is waiting for a green light? Don't hold your breath.
This is crazy. They could build a brand new building for $10 million, and it could be a real theater like the Waterbury Palace Theater.
This is a giant waste of money.
one guess where the money will come from.
If something isn't done this time, Bristol will never have a theater of any quality.
To expect standalone like a Palace, or a Warner, or a Shubert is unrealistic. Even they are losing money, as is the Bushnell.
Is there any concrete plans for the school after the K-8 system is adopted? It just seems that sinking 8 million into a building that is possibly nearing its end of useful life is not the best way to spend tax payer money.
Even if the money comes from the State as part of the downtown plan, this isn't the place to spend $8 million dollars.
An $8 million dollar theatre reconstruction will not bring in enough income to validate the expenditure. The school needs to be redone but the money is better spent on school technology or better classroom design than a community theatre.
Initial cost of 8 million, what is the operating cost?????? The taxpayers are stuck with that forever.
To all you naysayers and others of little faith in the wisdom of our city's leaders, all I have to say is, "Build it and they will come."
If a theater is going to be a big money maker why isn't a private investor being found to buy, fix up, and run this?
Bristol residents were told by the Board of Education that we can not afford to build regular elementary and middle schools .We are getting urban K-8 schools that are the most economical to build and run. The kind of schools that get the lowest test scores on the CMT in the entire state. We were told that we could not afford to fix up any of the old schools and yet somehow we can afford this?
Poor economy, blight,and Bristol residents in poverty are the subjects of news stories around here.
I would love added income to Bristol, but let a private investor who knows what they are doing take over. Have them buy the property to reduce the cost of the new schools and my taxes. With all the projects planned and the tax increases that will come few of the residents here would be able to afford to pay to go see anything there anyway.
Tax payers should get to vote on this issue.
It's simple. The city can not afford to do this. End of story.
alright .....
smart move .....
invest the taxpayers money into a guaranteed losing proposition ....
you just gotta love Bristol leadership ...
NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is not intended to be a "money maker", any more than many of the other services that the city provides do not "make money".
The school cannot be turned over to private enterprise as long as it is a school.
Operating costs would be a lot less than a stand alone. Keep in mind that we have operating costs for the Parks, Libraries, Muzzy Field etc.
The students will benefit, the public will benefit, businesses will benefit, the city will benefit.
Certainly a better approach than the Couture suggestion.
Did the city make money on Brackett Park, or Riley field? Did the city make money on the Youth Services building?
This will be a plus for Bristol, culturaly, economicaly, and image wise.
...4:31, Excellent points! I agree with you 100%...Unfortunately, you're talking to blog people who think culture is something the doctor at the free clinic does for them when they get a nasty rash...
Did the city make money on the debris across from city hall that the moyor enjoys viewing from his private offices ??
NOT !!!!!!!
WON'T !!!!!!!
In 4 years this will not be a school. Bristol should be making plans to find a buyer.
The public was told we could not afford to fix up this building for as a school.
If $8 million goes into fixing up just the theater part, then how much is it going to cost us to fix up the rest of the building and for what?
If we could afford this luxury, then why couldn't we afford regular schools and have to increase the # of students per classroom as planned.
We have auditoriums now that the schools and public functions either don't or are not allowed to use them to their best potential.
There are cultural events in Bristol. The general public and elected officials have shown little support for some of them. Wonderful professional level concerts are given.Often only families and friends are the only ones that show up, even when it is free.
...Gee 10:43, don't you think you ought to wait until the mall is actually finished being demolished before you start your whiny caterwauling? Bristol's future is finally starting to look brighter...despite your pointless, pessimistic whining...
Bristol's future is finally starting to look brighter...
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Dude .... what are you on ???
Pass some this way .
Is don't see the need for a community theater when there are sufficient theaters at both high schools.
...Sorry 4:07 dude,
I'm not on anything, just looking around my town and seeing some good things happening...mall is going down, downtown area is getting spruced up, new highway coming in, talk of new schools and a theater...all good things.
Only thing I have to pass your way is optimism...try some dude!
Neither school auditorium is adequate in size, nor do they have the necessary features to suport many of the possible shows and offereings.
Neither adds to any development and support of
Downtown, which is the only way that DECD wil provide the funding.
Again, a lot less expensive than a standalone, and certainly usable no matter what he eventual use for the building will be.
City Hall, Senior Center, Academic facility, Community Center, or any combination, IF they do decide to close it as a school.
Apparently we were lied to about being able to afford to fix up the Boulevard building. If we can afford to fix it up under one budget and not another shows that we can afford to fix up the building, but Bristol does not value of schooling. It also shows a lack of respect to the citizens by being able to feed them any information without outside professional studies on their alternatives.
Maybe the population of voters, with school children that attend pubic school and who are interested in Bristol, are a loosing demographic.
A theater is not enough to attract the wealthier more educated people, who have children in public schools, to move to Bristol and become home owners. These people will move to towns with better school systems. Getting more homeowners was part of the plan for revitalizing Bristol.
Some people fail to see how even if they don't have students in school how poor schools can effect them. When those students who receive inferior educations exit school without the right skills to allow them to earn a living wage they often resort to crime or need more government subsidised help. You can pay less early on or more later. The daily news tells us which way Bristol is headed. A community owned theater is luxury we can not afford.
The theater is there now. I have only seen it is used for a handful of 1 hour shows on winter break. You would think it would be at least used instead of the school stages and gyms of other schools events where parents have to stand in the hallways to fit. I have not seen it advertised use for any other community cultural events or ever listed as a possible location for community events. They are dreaming of what they could have when we don't make use of what we have already.
12: 43
Unless things have changed, the BLVD Auditorium was to have been basically funded by the state as part of Downtown Revitalization.
If that has changed, then yes, the consideration should be different.
The stage to too small, and the light and sound need work as does accessibility.
Yes, as use for school activity, the High Schools do have their own facilities.
But, how about the OM Show, the various programs such as Veterans Day, Mmeorial Day, and the possibilty of attracting other entertainment.
Outside organizations find it difficult to work with the individual schools: this would be available to the Community, and have adequate dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms etc.
Hopefully it will be explained better in the near future.
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