A new place to playAuthor(s): David Nelson Herald Journal staff writer |
After 80 years, the Ellen Eccles Theatre finally gets a new stage
The high-pitched beep from a laser level punctuated the quiet inside the Ellen Eccles Theatre, as Scott Robinson from Lundahl Building Systems made his way across the stage Wednesday. As he piled thin, 10-inch long shims on top of each other to even the frame of the floor, the steady, piercing beep rung in his ears, and those of anyone else in the building as the pieces of wood met the laser-guided level.
But you could have just called it the sound of progress.
After 80 years, the main stage was getting a facelift, and had been stripped down to the original frame to rebuild an uneven surface that was becoming a safety hazard. Although the timing -- a three-week break from scheduled performances -- made the project possible, other recent developments almost delayed the renovation further.
The Cache Valley Center for the Arts felt the budget cuts that affected nearly every city department this spring, and saw funding from Logan city drop by $75,000 for the current fiscal year. However, by "operating very lean," the organization that manages the Ellen Eccles Theatre has allowed them to handle the project that has been needed for over 10 years.
"We've tightened our belts, and are doing the best we can with the limited budgets," said Lisette Miles, director of the CVCA.
All salary increases were put on hold, about 20 staff members did the job of pulling up the old floorboards rather than hiring a contractor, maintenance that isn't critical has been deferred and Miles said usage fees for the publicly owned theater have not increased.
Three new layers of plywood staging, from three-fourths to one-half of an inch thick, will be laid across the shims Robinson evenly stapled across the existing wood frame. Forty 4-foot by 8-foot plywood sheets have been recently replaced after cracking because of uneven support below, which has buckled and bowed over the life of the theater thanks to heavy equipment and sets.
"As it was getting worse and worse with time, we thought, 'We have to do this now, before someone gets hurt or we destroy something,'" said Kris Bushman, technical director for the CVCA.
The new stage will be 44 and a half feet by 66 feet, and designed to wipe the expense off future budgets for the CVCA.
"Hopefully, it lasts the lifetime of the building," said Bushman. "It's important to get it done, and get it right." |