Highland, IN - Final fate of Town Theatre a coming attraction

posted by ThrHistoricalSociety on December 30, 2016 at 9:10 am

From nwi.com: The question of whether the Town Council will say “action” on renovating the Town Theatre probably will be answered next month, the theater’s board of directors recently learned.

Invitations to bid were sent out to about 15 contractors, said Redevelopment Director Cecile Petro. “We’d like to have a lot of bids.”

The bids are due by noon Jan. 16, when they will be opened and announced in Town Hall through the help of Morris Architects and Planners of Chicago.

Although no official action will be taken that day, the public will be allowed to attend the bid openings.

“Basically, the architect will go through them and evaluate them” to make sure they follow the stipulations set by the Redevelopment Commission, said Rhett Tauber, theater board attorney, of the bids.

Contractors must include a base bid for comparison purposes, board members said.

The ultimate winner — if the project is approved — will be the lowest and most responsive qualifying bid, Petro noted.

Town officials will conduct a walk-through of the historic 70-year-old building on Jan. 5 for interested contractors.

Attendance at the function will hint at the level of interest among qualified builders, Director Michael Maloney said. Interest already has been expressed by inquiring contractors from Indianapolis, South Bend and Chicago, Petro said.

The bid amounts will determine whether the curtain will be raised again in the theater.

Story link: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/final-fate-of-town-theatre-a-coming-attraction/article_125143b1-88ef-5d80-997f-6a97a0dfc82f.html

ABOUT THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA: Founded by Ben Hall in 1969, the Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) celebrates, documents and promotes the architectural, cultural and social relevance of America’s historic theatres. Through its preservation of the collections in the American Theatre Architecture Archive, its signature publication Marquee™ and Conclave Theatre Tour, THS increases awareness, appreciation and scholarly study of America’s theatres.

Learn more about historic theatres in the THS American Theatre Architecture Archives and on our website at historictheatres.org