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April 27, 2010

Community Center Theater renovation planned

Let's just say that you bought tickets to your favorite musical but had to sit in the back because those were the only seats available for a wheelchair user. Or you're a woman who needed to use the bathroom at intermission, but the lines were so long you had to miss the first 10 minutes of the second act.

If you've been to the Community Center Theatre since it opened in 1974, you could have experienced a problem of this sort, said Convention Center Manager Judy Goldbar. Luckily, those are two major issues that a proposed $40 million renovation seeks to address. The theater, run by the Sacramento Convention Center, hosts a number of local and touring productions, including Broadway Sacramento, the Sacramento Ballet and Sacramento Opera.

The City Council seeks to pass a resolution Tuesday Night approving the renovation, which would initially cost around $3 million in design services by Westlake Reed Leskosky Architects. The remaining projects, costing about $37.5 million, will need to be be paid back late in the 2010/11 fiscal year through bonds.

"We've talked about it in the past, even before 1999," Goldbar said. "When the building was built in 1974, it was state-of-the-art at that time, and it was our desire to update the theater."

Since the theatre is currently not Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, making it compliant will be the top priority. The theater, which Goldbar said was "designed to be a multipurpose venue for ballet, symphony, opera and entertainment venue," also seeks state-of-the-art electronics, a new heating and air system and LEED energy efficiency certification in the remodel.

To afford $3.5 million for the design contract, the facility will utilize more than $1 million it's saved since 1999, $1.5 million from a "Capital Improvements Project" fund, and another $2 million that it was awarded for renewing a contract with Classique Catering. The rest will be paid off in part by the Transient Occupancy Tax (hotel tax) and a Convention Center user fee of up to $3 per ticket.

"They are a magnet for activity downtown that in turn helps support the businesses surrounding them," said Lisa Martinez, The Downtown Sacramento Partnership's director of marketing and outreach. "They bring a lot of clientele, (and) the businesses get a lot of overflow."

Martinez also echoed the sentiment that the facility could use more bathrooms.

"I think (they) have the opportunity to create a better experience for the theater audience," she said. "Part of that is improving restrooms."

She also mentioned that the plan was comprehensive and would elevate downtown as a hub for the arts. With the new construction plan, Martinez said she hopes that people can drive by and know right away that it is a theater.

Goldbar stressed that the Convention Center renovation won't impact the city budget.

"None of (the money) comes out of the general fund," she said. "We are an enterprise fund, so as such, we pay fees back to the City of Sacramento for the privilege of renting the facility. The city has done a great job of maintaining it's asset, so I think it's a good idea that we update our facility."

The full resolution can be viewed here.

Link: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/25654/Community_Center_Theater_renovation_planned
Author: Jonathan Mendick