Patrons of the Collierville Harrell Theatre will soon be a little more comfortable while attending events at the 30-year-old facility.
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously Monday night to pay nearly $75,000 for 354 new auditorium seats.
The Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts requested that $100,000 be set aside in the budget for the 2018 fiscal year. However, the bid came in considerably less at $73,200, prompting some aldermen to ask whether the carpet should be replaced as well.
Director of General Services Derek Honeycutt said the vinyl floors underneath the seats will be buffed and waxed and that the carpet would be cleaned.
However, Aldermen John Worley and Billy Patton asked if the town should go ahead and purchase a new carpet with the money that was saved on the seats.
Honeycutt agreed that the carpet is in need of replacement but said he does not have a recent bid. The carpet was last replaced 10 years ago.
He previously received a bid for around $30,000 to change out the carpet.
Mayor Stan Joyner asked Honeycutt to get a current bid but encouraged the board to go ahead with the installation of the new seats as to not disrupt the timeline.
Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Director Greg Clark noted that the theatre is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
“As you are aware,” he said, “the existing auditorium seats are the original seats installed. The existing seats are in poor shape as there are fabric issues, as well as inconsistencies in overall seat comfortability throughout the auditorium.”
The new seats will be upholstered with a burgundy fabric. They are the same make and model as the seats that were installed in the new Pavilion basketball arena at the University of Mississippi.
