If you have experienced the pain in trying to sit at Riverview Theatre since the new seats were installed last fall, this update may be good news.
The qualifier is “may.”
The “pain” referred to is knees in your face while sitting.
And it’s a “pain” for people to get to inner seats.
No longer can you stand up and allow people to pass by. Now you must exit the row to allow the inner seats to be used.
The good news is that a white knight has offered to pay to rectify the situation.
The bad news is getting the process completed when approval of the primary users of Riverview Theatre is required, plus other dillydallying by parties that will not be named. At least not until another column is required – this is the third on this topic.
Here is a response from SPAR Director Shelly Ragle to a terse request for an update.
“The money is still committed. The project has not languished, there are procedural requirements that make this lengthy when you are working on a municipal building. The city could not allow the project to move forward until a resolution was adopted to accept the donation. This was done in January as soon as the money was committed. That legislation took two readings. Once we accepted the donation from the Opera to install the seats and were set to move forward with the Opera contracting with the seating company, the Opera Board along with their attorneys decided that they were not comfortable with this arrangement and could not manage this project.
Therefore, the city had to step in and take over the process. We had to work through purchasing policies, guidelines and laws. The funding will still go to the Opera as required by the funder, and Russell DeLancy will be the point person from the city. We have reached out to the seating company to let them know and to begin the contract process with them. The city will have to accept the monetary donation (not the seats) from the Opera and we will begin that process at the next council meeting. We are aware of the timeline and are working as diligently as possible to get this done. Thanks and let me know if you have any further questions.”
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE April 16 ISSUE OF FOCUS SB - THE INQUSITOR.