Performances to continue as scheduled; seating availability unaffected
Labor and material shortages are to blame for a delay in the Bartlesville Community Center Auditorium Seat Restoration Project, a voter-approved project that got underway this summer.
But, as they say, the show will go on, and performances and events planned at the world class Community Center will continue as scheduled.
The project, which is funded by the City’s Half-cent Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Sales Tax, consists of upgrading 1,707 auditorium seats with new paint, new padding, new armrests with cup holders, new hardware and other minor upgrades.
The renovation got underway in July, with the BCC placing a “construction hold” on the auditorium for July through September.
“This hold permitted the contractor, Cy Young, to remove all auditorium chairs by the end of July, renovate them in August and the beginning of September, and install them at the end of September,” said City of Bartlesville Project Engineer Emily Taber. “This would allow October performances to proceed with an adequate number of chairs, and allow Cy Young to continue installing chairs throughout October and November to meet the performances’ seating demands.”
But the plan hit a snag recently with labor and material shortages impacting the contractor and subcontractors on the project, Taber said.
“While this plan seemed doable, it left little room for unforeseen circumstances and, unfortunately, these unforeseen circumstances have, in fact, occurred,” Taber said. “Both Cy Young and its subcontractors are enduring great labor shortages, leaving them with few employees to accomplish their work. Additionally, several of the subcontractors have experienced material delays and malfunctions, preventing Cy Young from receiving materials on time.”
Due to these uncontrollable circumstances, construction will pivot to the predetermined backup plan, Taber said.
“Cy Young will continue construction at their Kansas facility as materials and laborers become available,” she said.
Scheduled events and performances at the BCC will continue unaffected, she said.
“As of now, performances and seating capacity will remain unchanged,” Taber said. “The only thing different will be the type of seating, as the BCC will utilize rented, temporary seating until the renovated seats can be reinstalled.”
Taber said that due to the circumstances, it’s difficult to name a new target date for completion, but City and BCC staff will continue to work with the contractor to have the restored seating installed by the end of the year.
“The City and the BCC appreciate the BCC’s patrons and donors and are working tirelessly to return the auditorium to its grandeur and full functionality by the end of 2021,” she said.