Renovations at the Idaho Falls Civic Center for the Performing Arts got a big boost Thursday with the addition of an additional $257,000 from the William J. and Shirley A. Maeck Family Foundation.

The additional donation will allow the committee overseeing the renovations of the Civic Center to purchase and install a new gala mechanical orchestra lift for the facility to replace the antiquated manual lift that is there now.  Replacement of the lift was identified as a need during the renovations, but budgetary constraints had prevented the lift from being included in the current renovations. 

“Bill and Shirley always loved the symphony, and the lift is something that they envisioned could be a real benefit to the facility,” said City of Idaho Falls Municipal Services Director Pam Alexander. “The generosity of the Maeck Foundation to make this possible is just a wonderful example of their continuing commitment to helping bring the arts that Bill and Shirley loved so much to our entire community.”

Currently in Phase I of the process, the renovations under way include new paint and new seating, refinishing the flooring, sound wall installation and new wall coverings.  Additional Phase I improvements include replacing the lighting dimming system, an updated marquee and acoustical improvements.

Patron input was key in identifying priorities for the improvements, and the committee in charge of the renovations is excited to be able to include the new orchestra lift in the improvements in the initial phase.

“The old, manual lift was complicated and took hours and multiple people to operate before and after performances.  This new lift will greatly improve operations and make the experience here so much more enjoyable,” said Alexander.  “We really look forward to the improvements and believe the public will see a great benefit from this.”

Total cost of the new mechanical lift is expected to be approximately $303,000.  The additional funding for the project is expected to be paid from projected project savings anticipated during the initial improvement phase. 

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Media note:  For additional information or to schedule an interview with city staff, please contact Public Information Officer Bud Cranor at 702-526-8003.