The Trotter Convention Center’s new look will be in place by the new year.
Contractors are slated to have the downtown facility’s renovations finished by mid to late December.
“These contractors’ completion times are between February and April,” Robyn Eastman, with the city project managing firm J5/Broaddus, told community leaders during a construction tour Thursday. “They, at the request of the city, have accelerated their schedule in an attempt to get this thing back to the city for use at Christmas time. They’ve done a spectacular job. I’m very proud of what they’ve accomplished.”
About 40 people took part in the tour.
Project architect Major Andrews took people through each of the major components of the building that are undergoing improvements, including the downstairs meeting room, ballroom and lobby. He also showed the building’s extended front entrance, which is being brought out closer to Main Street.
The downstairs meeting rooms commonly accessed through the Second Avenue entrance will have a brighter, modernized look with new modular carpet tiles that can be easily replaced if damaged. The brown, earth-tone tile has a bottom layer of rubber that prevents spills from seeping down to the concrete.
The gold, nine-light fixtures that came down from the ceiling in the meeting rooms are being replaced by lighting in the ceiling that is controlled by a motion sensor and dimmer switch. When you walk in, the light comes on automatically, and there will be a control on the wall that lets you adjust how much lighting you want in the room. The restrooms beside the downstairs meeting rooms are getting new granite counter tops, as well as automated faucets and hand dryers.
The ballroom will have black ceiling tile and acoustic clouds to make sound control more easy to manage. About 10,000 LED light color configurations controlled upstairs in the sound booth can be set and aimed at the stage. The ballroom lighting will also be brighter, and those lights will also be LED lights, which will mean reduced energy bills, Andrews said.
The ballroom will also feature two high definition projectors that are approximately 160 feet wide and 7 feet tall, Andrews said. The room will have cameras so events can be recorded. The ballroom floor has been sanded and has one coat of sealant on it. Two more coats have to be applied, Eastman said.
There will be seven sound control presets for different types of events ranging from seminars to concerts, but there will also be someone on staff for each event to man the soundboard and lighting system.
The control room where that person will be is being brought out closer to the stage and will have monitors and mixing racks.
Behind the control room will be a new feature for the facility: two smaller breakout meeting spaces.
The lobby is undergoing largely aesthetic changes including new paint and wood veneer panels. Accent lighting, including a chandelier at the center of the lobby, will be featured. Andrews said there will also be monitors in the lobby that display the event taking place in the ballroom.
The new brick front facade will guard an extended open air-space. The front will have columns in the center with two gated openings on either side.
The project costs $2,291,229. In September, the council authorized borrowing an amount not to exceed $2.5 million from the Mississippi Development Bank and using in-lieu fees from Columbus Light and Water to service the debt at approximately $225,000 a year with a 4.55 percent interest rate until it is paid off.
City begins advertising for Goodman’s successor
The city has begun advertising for someone to replace Frank Goodman, who has been the Trotter director and city property manager since 1987. Goodman said he will retire in April but encouraged city administration to begin advertising for his replacement.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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