LR signs $60 million contract for theater costs

Officials approved a $60 million guaranteed maximum construction cost for the Robinson Center renovation project Friday but had to agree to what they described as minor tweaks to the plans in order to arrive at that total.

The Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission and construction company CDI/Hunt Robinson Joint Venture signed a contract amendment Friday afternoon at a specially called meeting that stated construction costs will not exceed $60,083,659.

During a special election in October, voters approved allowing the Convention and Visitors Bureau to take out up to $73.5 million in bonds for the improvements to the music and performance hall.

The bonds actually generated $68.9 million for the project, said Gretchen Hall, the bureau's president and chief executive officer. What is left after construction costs also will go toward renovations inside the center.

The guaranteed maximum construction cost approved Friday was nearly $3.7 million less than the first proposal from the contractors in August. CDI/Hunt and bureau staff reached an agreement by altering portions of the renovation project, but Hall said they were small tweaks that didn't change the scope.

"All of the items were reviewed very carefully by the design team and none of the items significantly changed the scope or altered the functional or aesthetic quality of the project," Hall said. "Most of the items represent a cost savings alternate material or method."

For instance, painted concrete will be used in lieu of brick on the exterior of the building by the back loading dock to realize cost savings. Brick will be used still on the front and sides of the building. Alternate plumbing fixtures will be placed in the back house dressing rooms, and in some areas the ceilings will be switched from limestone to a cheaper material.

"You will not notice anything that we've been able to save money and cost on in this whole long list," said David Porter, with Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects. "We have lost no functionality from a program standpoint; no quality in the expectations of the fineness of the building in the hall, meeting rooms and public spaces; and no long-term loss of durability."

Commissioner Gene Fortson, who is also an at-large director on the Little Rock Board of Directors, wanted to make sure that the acoustic improvements to the performance hall weren't compromised by the changes. Porter assured him that 90 percent of the changes were outside the performance hall and that none would affect its look or quality.

Mayor Mark Stodola, who is a member of the commission, noted that changes in value engineering are common with all projects.

Robinson Center, built in 1939 with an addition in the 1970s, has had some aesthetic work done over the years but no major renovations.

Plans include fully redoing the theater area by lowering the stage to make it easier for prop unloading and to better accommodate larger Broadway shows. Acoustics and ambience will be improved by shortening the theater. Two tiers of balcony seating and box seating will be added on the sides around the performance hall to create a more intimate setting.

A 500-seat ballroom will overlook the Broadway Bridge and Arkansas River and connect to the second-floor catering kitchen at the Doubletree Hotel. Meeting rooms, currently housed in the basement, will be moved to a multistory, glass-fronted addition on the back of the building also overlooking the river.

Also included in Friday's amendment was an adjustment to the estimated completion date. Contractors said they need an additional month to finish the project than was previously approved. A "substantial completion" date is set for October 2016 now, instead of September of that year.

A hard opening is scheduled for December 2016.

"After substantial completion, the facility will be functional; however, the acousticians will spend a few months fine tuning the performance hall, and the contractors will be finishing final punch list items," Hall said. "It is anticipated that some events will take place" between that October and December.

Commission Chairman Warren Simpson said Friday, after the commission unanimously approved the contract amendment, that it was a "big day, a great day."

"We all had to give a little and take a little. We had to do what we had to do to get this in line. It wasn't easy. ... Onward from here," Simpson said.

Metro on 09/13/2014

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