Council approves $888,000 auditorium lighting and production upgrade

The Broomfield City Council on May 20 unanimously approved a construction agreement with Luxe AVL Inc. to upgrade auditorium lighting and technical production systems, part of a $1.2 million capital budget for the project.

Council voted to authorize the contract after staff told members the existing lighting and dimming systems are at end of life, replacement parts are scarce and staff must erect scaffolding over fixed seating to service fixtures. The resolution authorizing the agreement passed unanimously after a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Schaff and a second by Council member Henkel.

City CIP manager Brian Graham said the project was designed in 2024, publicly bid and returned a lowest responsive bid of $888,000. The project budget includes prior design expenditures and a contingency that brings the total authorized budget to $1.2 million. “We are ordering parts off eBay,” Graham said, summarizing maintenance problems that prompted the 2024 capital request. He told council the work will install LED fixtures, motorized ceiling-mounted grids to lower lighting for maintenance, updated dimming and controls, new audio equipment and acoustical drapery.

Katherine Lineup, director of Library, Arts, History and CSU Extension, told council the auditorium hosts about 50 user groups and 120 days of events annually and draws roughly 25,000 visitors a year. “Replacing that lighting system now ensures the continuity of service for all of the community groups who rely on the auditorium,” she said. Lineup said the new fixtures will be industry standard, easier to maintain and more energy efficient.

City staff said the work is funded from the CIP fund (Fund 20), financed by sales and property tax streams already in the adopted CIP. Staff said $225,000 has been encumbered to date for design and related costs; the construction contract is $888,000 and contingencies fill out the $1.2 million appropriation. Councilmember Leslie noted staff had not provided exact quantified estimates for energy and maintenance savings but said the community risk of a prolonged outage made the project compelling; rental revenue and community programs could be disrupted if the system failed.

Several residents and regular auditorium users spoke in favor during public comment, saying the aging system had already caused failures and that the community relies on the venue for arts groups, recitals and school productions. The resolution (Proposed Resolution 2025-73) passed unanimously on second reading.

Council and staff also discussed improving consent-agenda memos to make funding sources and prior approvals clearer to residents and council members. Staff said they will provide more explicit fund and CIP-matrix detail in future memos and will continue to follow the adopted CIP decision matrix for project prioritization.