The Pottsville Area Development Corporation and the Majestic Theater will continue to collect bids for two new electric-powered heating/air-conditioning units until the end of the month.
PADCO, which manages the 224-seat theater at 209 N. Centre St., will open bids at its next meeting, Amy S. Burkhart, PADCO’s executive director, said at the February meeting of the theater’s board of directors held Wednesday at Union Station.
“Will we need those (units) fixed before we open again?” Naomi Ost, the theater’s treasurer, asked Burkhart at the meeting.
“Yes,” Burkhart said.
“Is it going to open in March?” Doris Kauffman, a member of the theater board, asked.
“It’s going to open in March because we have things scheduled,” Burkhart said.
According to the theater’s website, www.majestictheater.net, the next event at the theater is “APPLAUSE! A Majestic Cabaret,” slated for 6 p.m. March 8.
In September, the board of directors at the Majestic Theater in Pottsville decided the theater should close in January and February since, traditionally, it’s not a busy time of year. But the theater had to close at the start of 2015, since two of its three electric-powered heating/air-conditioning units failed in recent months, Burkhart said.
The board of directors for PADCO will open bids at its next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 24 at 1 Norwegian Plaza. The meeting is not open to the public, according to Burkhart.
After that, a special meeting of the theater’s board of directors will be scheduled to hire a contractor. That will be a public meeting. A date for that meeting has not yet been set, according to Burkhart.
There are three electric heating/air-conditioning units — which Burkhart had referred to as “electric heat pumps” — on the building’s roof. They were installed in 2006.
In October, the theater received a complaint about the temperature.
Representatives of Antz Energy Systems, Pottsville, said the compressor had failed in one of the units.
Then, in November, a compressor failed in a second unit, Burkhart said.
Burkhart said she’s hoping to get quotes from at least four contractors.
“We have one in. We’re waiting for the other three. And, of course, we’re looking to change them over to gas, as opposed to replacing the electric heat pumps at this point,” she told the theater board Wednesday.
Burkhart said no one will be using the theater until the units are replaced.
Auditions for a production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be held Saturday and Sunday in the basement of PADCO’s headquarters at 1 S. Second St., Pottsville. For times, call the office at 570-628-4647.