Emporia City Commissioners approved a major project to address long-standing acoustic issues at White Auditorium.
Commissioners approved a bid from Audio Lite of Emporia for the installation of reverberation panels and hanging banners within the auditorium. According to commissioners, the city has received an abundance of complaints regarding the quality of acoustics within the auditorium during events such as basketball games and most recently the Flint Hills Beef Fest Awards banquet.
According to Cody Maxfield of Audio Lite, one of the consistent issues over the years has been a seven-second acoustic delay period within the auditorium. He tells KVOE News the panels will reduce the decay period from seven to three seconds.
The total bid came in at $115,000 well under the original estimates of $175,000. With the approval, Audio Lite can move forward with the purchase of materials, which will take 3-4 weeks to arrive once the order is placed.
In addition, commissioners officially rejected two bids for a waterline improvement project on West Sixth Ave. The full scope of work will entail the placement of a new 10-inch water line which will connect a line on both Commercial and Merchant Streets according to City Engineer Jim Ubert.
The city received two bids on the project, both which came in over $100,000 higher than the project’s budget thus leading to the commission’s unanimous rejection Wednesday evening.
With the rejection commissioners also approved to rebid the project. Commissioners set the project to be rebid on Oct. 8.
In other business commissioners also approved an ordinance and request from Radius Brewing Company and the Downtown Bar Association for a beer garden during the Oktoberfest celebration in downtown Emporia on Oct. 12.
The Emporia City Commission will not hold a meeting next week and will reconvene for a study session on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
