The Salem Theatre Board took up the carpeting inside the theatre during a work day on Saturday ahead of the major renovation that includes new seats, which is set to begin on July 20th. Chair Drew Johnson wanted to do the work now because he feared what was underneath the carpeting down the aisles.
“We felt a couple of soft spots, and we knew that to complete the work that we were going to do on our timeline, we’d have to start the project relatively soon,” Johnson said. “We got together with our quarterly work day and we went through and ripped out all the carpet. We found the original architecture had a sunken section that had been built up with plywood. It’s good that we found it when we did. As part of our grander project, we’re now going to have to put the concrete board in its place.”
Johnson says the additional concrete will add about a week’s worth of work, but at least now it won’t come as a surprise. With the carpeting torn up, Johnson says, watch your step signs will be in place for the last few performances before the theatre closes for the installation of new seats as well as improvements to the flooring and painting of the ceiling.
During the work day on Saturday, the upstairs portions of the theatre building used for costume and other storage were painted. The Salem Walmart donated the paint for the project.
