ARENA RENOVATIONS CONTINUE

An ongoing effort to spruce up the 58-year-old A.C. Brase Arena building is continuing this summer with a new paint job and awnings.

The remodeling began five years ago when workers replaced the building's ceiling and lighting. Last year, the building underwent its most extensive work with the two-stage replacement of the roof.

Scott Williams, A.C. Brase facility manager, said the roof cost as much as $95,000 for the entire replacement. The Arena building's kitchens were also remodeled last year by city park employees.

The work this summer is not going to be as costly but is taking time, Williams said. The awning and painting together are going to cost about $5,000.

"Summer is our best time to do big projects," Williams said. "July is probably our downest time without having weekend events."

Still, he said, the work is progressing slowly because workers have to be taken away from their usual summer projects. Most of the work on the building is being done by Arena Park and parks division employees. Williams said the parks division helps with the masonry work and has skilled carpenters that assist with nearly all the projects.

For the past 10 years, the Arena building has been tan with green awnings. Williams said the building is being painted a light gray with darker gray highlights. A navy blue stripe will run along the building and the new awnings will be navy blue.

The awnings will also sport the cursive A.C. Brase logo. "We're going to add that because it's a little more stylish," Williams said.

Some work might also begin this summer to color coordinate the interior with the new exterior. Williams said the lobby will be remodeled and the carpet either replaced or removed and tile laid.

Work will also begin on painting and replacing ceiling tiles and light fixtures in the bathrooms.

The project will extend over the next three to four years with a list of improvements being made to the building. The lawn will be landscaped, seeded and fill dirt brought in next year. Williams said new shrubs will be planted and some of the older shrubs will be removed.

A paved sidewalk on the south side of the building will be added that extends from the front steps.

Anywhere there is wallpaper, Williams said, it will be redone. Workers are going to paint the main floor area and work on bleachers. In the next three to four years the cast-iron railings and the decks they are mounted on in the arena will be replaced with modern railings that are wider apart. Workers will also refinish the stage.

The Arena building recently bought 100 new tables for indoor functions.

Williams said for a building that is rented as often as the A.C. Brase building is, the remodeling was overdue. "There's almost 40 weekends a year where we've got a rental on a Saturday or Sunday. During the week we're booked," he said.

The Kiwanis rents the building every Monday. Tuesdays through Thursday, the building is busy with recreation classes and athletic leagues. The building also hosts concerts, flea markets, circuses, antique shows, craft shows and wedding receptions throughout the year.

"We're really seeing a constant rental program going on," Williams said.

Williams said because of the construction of the 13,458-square-foot building a lot of the work is not easy to accomplish. "It's a concrete building so it's limited to what you can do to the appearance. But whatever we can do we're going to do," he said.

Scott Golden of Cape Girardeau and Mead Talley of Gipsy were painting the front and south side of the building Thursday and Friday. Golden said other than an accumulation of mold and grime that had to be sprayed off with a high-pressure hose, the building has been fairly easy to work on.

Talley said for as old as it is the building is in good shape.