Major tuneups on the horizon for Macon’s major entertainment, cultural venues

As thousands of people filled the Macon Coliseum for a Jehovah’s Witness convention in 2016, an unexpected problem cropped up for the venue’s newest managers.

There was a plumbing issue, caused by a hairline crack, on the Coliseum’s north side that temporarily closed some restrooms. The scene unfolded as a company called Spectra was taking over management of the coliseum and the City Auditorium.

Macon-Bibb County officials had tasked Spectra with bringing in more events while also determining the repairs and renovations needed for both the short and long term.

Spectra, a subsidiary of Comcast Spectacor, manages entertainment and sports venues across the United States. As Spectra officials found, some of the problems at the coliseum and City Auditorium weren’t uncommon for facilities their age.

The electrical and plumbing systems were in poor condition when Spectra took over in July 2016. One of the first points of emphasis was performing preventive maintenance to HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems, as well as handling other immediate repairs, Spectra officials said.

“Some of the (venues) we go in, we see that a lot,” General Manager David Aiello said. “We see they’ve been neglected, they need a good cleaning, they need some TLC. So we’re able to use our experience from those accounts that helps. It gives us a clear direction of which way we need to go to get it done. The difficult thing is what’s high priority and what can we put off a couple of years.”

Some of Macon-Bibb County’s most popular entertainment venues will get major makeovers within the next decade. There is $37 million in the 2018 special purpose sales tax initiative dedicated to cultural arts and public use facilities.

The coliseum is tentatively scheduled to get $3.85 million of that amount over the next handful of years.

At the coliseum, some of the upgrades will be new staging, glass for hockey, new boilers and a sound system. A new HVAC system is needed, and more plumbing work will also be done.

Two other major changes have either been recently completed or will be installed in the coming months: antennas for wireless service in the coliseum and LED lighting in the coliseum and City Auditorium.

And a year after a series of issues at the coliseum plagued the state basketball tournament there, the Georgia High School Association recently approved the return of basketball and wrestling state tournaments in 2018. Some of the amenities that helped win back the tournaments included updated locker rooms and other areas, and a plan to purchase a new basketball floor.

And those sometimes long lines at concessions stands will shorten with the addition of more places to buy food and drinks. Spectra has doubled the coliseum’s “point of sales” and now allow patrons to use both credit cards and cash.

Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Al Tillman said changes such as better lighting and an improved sound system, as well as taking cash and credit cards in the same concessions lines, are important.

“Those improvements are using the SPLOST money right, making true improvements,” said Tillman, who chairs the commission’s Facilities and Engineering Committee.

City Auditorium

The last major renovations to the historic City Auditorium, situated at First Street and Cherry Street Lane, were done in 1979.

The City Auditorium continues to have an array of issues, some more pressing than others, that need to be addressed.

The county has spent about $500,000 in recent years on upgrades, such as removing peeling wallpaper, some painting and waterproofing the basement. But the bulk of the improvements are expected to take place over the next few years with $11.6 million in sales tax proceeds.

The costliest repairs needed for the City Auditorium involve the copper dome, which might need a third or more of the facility’s SPLOST money to repair.

“It’s such a unique roof,” Aiello said. “There’s not many people that can go up there and fix it with it being so unique.”

Before the end of 2017, crews will put in new kitchen equipment in the auditorium, which should provide more revenue for Macon-Bibb.

“We do a lot of galas, weddings, fundraiser type of events over there, and they all need caterers,” Aiello said. “It will allow us to perform that benefit in house.”

The auditorium will also get other work, including new carpet, flooring and painting.

The coliseum and City Auditorium are not the only Macon event venues benefiting from SPLOST funding.

The Grand Opera House’s $2.9 million facelift started this summer with some new seating and carpeting being installed, resolving air conditioning issues and some other upkeep.

Next year, the downtown venue’s restrooms and lobby will be renovated.

There’s also a total of $480,000 budgeted for the Tubman Museum in 2022 and 2025. The historic Douglass Theatre is also getting upgrades, including repairs to the roof.

Another $2.5 million will be spent on renovating historic Luther Williams Field in time for the inaugural season of the Macon Bacon, the summer collegiate baseball team. Among the upgrades are improvements to field drainage, as well as the locker room and concession areas.

“Investing in our culture is just as important as investing in public safety, infrastructure and recreation because people want and deserve a good quality of life,” Macon-Bibb County spokesman Chris Floore said. “By improving the Grand Opera House, Douglass Theatre, Historic Luther Williams Field, and Auditorium, we’re making sure people do more than just live here because they work here. They’ll want to live here.”

This story was originally published October 6, 2017 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Major tuneups on the horizon for Macon’s major entertainment, cultural venues."