Colonial Theater secures money to restore stage

LACONIA — Work to refurbish the stage of the restored Colonial Theatre is under way following the City Council’s action to approve money for the project.

The council voted unanimously Monday to spend up to $50,000 for the work. The money will come from funds already in the city budget.

The need to resurface the stage was discovered only recently after scaffolding on the stage was taken down.

The stage floor became warped in several places due to the weight of 2 inches of concrete which was poured on the stage when the Colonial was subdivided into a multiplex cinema in the 1980s.

City Councilor Bob Hamel said there was not enough money left in the $14 million restoration budget to pay for the work, prompting the need for council to approve the appropriation of the additional funds.

The company which has been hired to manage the Colonial said that leveling the stage is necessary to make the theater a suitable venue for a variety of entertainment programs, especially theatrical productions.

On Tuesday Hamel said workers had already started pulling up the original hardwood stage floor. Once that is removed, plywood will be laid down over the existing subfloor. Once the plywood is in place, laminate flooring will be laid down over the plywood. The laminate surface will then be painted black.

The original stage flooring was too brittle to be saved, Hamel said.

The restoration work on the theater is expected to be completed sometime next month.