Irwin Council approves bids for Lamp Theatre upgrades

Irwin Council has awarded more than $149,000 worth of contracts to outfit the Lamp Theatre with stage curtains, a sound system, new seats and a digital marquee.

The borough has been doing a top-to-bottom remodeling of the 77-year-old former movie house, which closed in 2004. Plans are to use the building as a multiuse performance center. Irwin officials have received financial and technical assistance with the project from the Westmoreland County Cultural Trust.

All the contracts council awarded last week were by unanimous vote.

Signarama of Greensburg was awarded a $26,750 contract for the digital message signage that will be used for the theater's marquee, according to borough engineer Lucien Bove, who reviewed the contracts and made the recommendation to council.

Plans call for the marquee signage to be installed by public-works Superintendent Jim Halfhill, who has done much of the finish work on the theater's exterior with a team of volunteers.

A contract for $15,373 worth of theater curtains was awarded to Pittsburgh Stage, which is based in Sewickley. In addition to the actual curtains, the contract covers the purchase and installation of rigging — the mechanisms that open and close the curtains — and a 12-foot by 20-foot retractable screen on which to project films.

A $53,000 contract to install a sound system for the theater was awarded to Sonus Lux of Irwin.

Bove said some of the equipment called for in the original design was eliminated because of budget constraints.

“We are reducing the number of speakers at various locations,” Bove told council. “We will still have a functioning system, but it won't be the full sound system that was designed.”

He said the audio system that is being installed can, however, be expanded in the future.

The information raised a red flag for Councilwoman Joanna Jordan, who said the quality of the sound system is a critical component of the new theater.

“I worry about the sound given the variety of productions (that will be) going on in there, from a speaker, to a small group to a large group,” she said.

Jordan also questioned whether the auditorium will be outfitted with proper baffling to help control acoustics.

Bove explained that the auditorium will have a suspended ceiling containing acoustic tile and that the walls will receive a sound-absorbing treatment.

He noted that Sonus Lux employs audio and electrical engineers “so we'll be relying on them to give us good sound.”

In addition to allowing engineers to control sound reflection, a ceiling made with suspended panels also provides a low-cost way to camouflage things such as duct work and the conduits used to run wiring.

Because the duct work and wiring is above the dropped ceiling, “they don't have to look pretty, be painted or be cleaned,” Bove said.

In addition to scaling down the sound system, flat-panel monitors and cameras that could be used for communication during performances, as well as to display what is happening on stage to patrons in the theater's retail areas were eliminated.

The monitors were part of a “wish list” rather than a necessity, Bove said. He said the wiring to connect these items will be done so they can be added in the future.

Bove said fundraising for the project is ongoing and that additional sound gear and other equipment could be added if sufficient donations are received.

A $54,072 contract for 331 theater seats also was awarded to Pittsburgh-based Maffie Strayer.

Even though the seats likely will be installed toward the end of the construction project, the order needed to be placed now to give the company enough lead time to manufacture them, the engineer said.

Tony LaRussa is a Trib Total Media staff writer. Reach him at tlarussa@tribweb.com.