City takes first look at major makeover for VBC
Thursday, April 16, 2009 By STEVE DOYLE and JOHN PECKTimes Staff Writers
[email protected]@htimes.com
Work could begin this summer on a multimillion-dollar makeover of the Von Braun Center.
On Wednesday, city planning officials got their first detailed look at plans to spruce up the 34-year-old center using tax dollars and private donations.
Huntsville architect Paul Matheny told the city's subdivision committee that the work will give a "fresh look" to the aging VBC Arena and Concert Hall, plus the heavily used East and West halls.
The changes will be most visible in the arena. It's getting a modern glass facade overlooking Big Spring International Park, nicer concession areas, wider concourses, a better sound system, three times the space for women's restrooms and 1,000 extra seats.
Matheny said the work will also bring the civic center into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. The nonprofit group Access Now sued the city last month on behalf of disabled Huntsville resident Willard Brooks.
The lawsuit contends that doors, water fountains, sinks, ticket counters and curbs in the older parts of the VBC pose problems for people in wheelchairs. Access Now wants a federal judge to order the city to make improvements.
Wayne Bonner, chairman of the VBC board, said the improvements will make the city's biggest gathering spot more user-friendly.
"The main thing is to freshen it up," Bonner said Wednesday. "We've done the best we can with the funds we have to keep it maintained, but it's outdated."
He said the cost of the renovations won't be known until construction bids are submitted next month.
"Hopefully, it will be much less than had we done it last year," said Bonner, noting that the recession has made construction companies hungry for work and therefore more price-conscious.
Officials hope to schedule the work around the VBC's busy seasons to reduce the effect on performances. The Concert Hall improvements, for example, may start after June dance recitals and wrap up before the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra season begins in September.
The arena construction can proceed with little disruption to scheduled events, Bonner said.
The makeover will take at least 14 months, Matheny said. The subdivision committee forwarded the architectural drawings to the Planning Commission for approval.
The city originally borrowed $10 million for the work. About $2 million is committed to the Concert Hall improvements; the other $8 million is on hold pending discussions with the VBC on how it will be repaid.
City Finance Director Randy Taylor said the city will not cover the debt from its capital budget and is studying other possible repayment sources, including city liquor and lodging taxes and higher projected revenues from VBC events. Bonner said the VBC board is evaluating how much money it can commit to the renovations.
Two major private gifts last year helped jump-start the renovations. The widow of Adtran founder Mark Smith donated $3 million for the Concert Hall makeover, which includes 2,100 new seats, luxury suites, better sound and lighting equipment, new restrooms, an elevator and more reception space.
Huntsville businessman William Propst, who built a fortune in steel, drugstores, manufacturing and real estate, donated $5 million for the arena work. It will be renamed Propst Arena.
The renovations will eliminate asbestos panels throughout the VBC, Matheny said, and add handrails to help prevent falls in the arena's steep upper level.
It's unclear if the donations and borrowed money -- totaling about $18 million -- will cover the entire tab. Mayor Tommy Battle said the city needs to know the amount of any shortfall before deciding how to help.
"There's an interest on our part to do the whole (project) all at once, if we can afford it," Battle said Wednesday. "We've got to see where the bids come in to talk real numbers. We've also got to see where our budgets end up for this year."
Any city appropriation to the VBC may hinge on the economy's improving. Because of slumping sales-tax collections, city government has implemented a hiring freeze, curbed vehicle purchases and left some department-head positions vacant.
Taylor, the finance director, has warned that the city's sales-tax revenue could fall about $7 million short of projections for this fiscal year.
© 2009 The Huntsville Times. All rights reserved.
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