Get real: Theater fix won't be cheap

8/10/08
Is there any hope for an honest discussion of the Shakespeare Theater?
It’s a beautiful facility, a model for similar structures worldwide. But it’s also been out of use for two decades. Anyone who thinks getting it back into shape will be easy and cheap is kidding himself.
But it doesn’t pay to be the bearer of bad news, and that was the position representatives of the BL Cos. of Meriden found themselves in last week. They came before the Stratford Town Council with the uncontroversial conclusion that the theater’s rehabilitation will be expensive.
Some council members were hearing none of it. “Useless,” they called the company’s report. “It seems like you guys just walked through the building, didn’t test anything and just threw out a number of what you think it might cost,” said Majority Leader Michael Julian, R-1.
The mind boggles.
What does Julian, or anyone, think a company like this would have to gain by not doing its job correctly? Who are they supposed to be covering for? Must everything be a giant conspiracy?
Construction is expensive. Building codes are precise. Stratford can’t just put together a slapdash job and expect to slide by, especially not in a
world-class facility like the Shakespeare Theater.
The consultant group studied a range of options, and gave an honest estimate as to the project’s cost. Apparently, it’s all supposed to be a big scam.
No wonder everything in Stratford takes 10 times longer than it should.