Architect Paul Cavin outlines Bristlecone Convention Center remodel and schedule

Architect Paul Cavin told the White Pine County Tourism and Recreation Board on Aug. 26 that schematic designs for the Bristlecone Convention Center remodel are roughly 20–30% complete and will be submitted to Executive Director Kyle Horvath in October.

Cavin said the next milestone is design development, due in November, and that the project team aims to have construction drawings ready for the Building Department around mid-January. He described the delivery method as design–bid–build and said he will oversee the bidding process.

The planned scope includes enlarging the main room to increase capacity, modernizing audiovisual equipment and lighting, relocating the Bristlecone display to the main lobby, adding a hallway to connect brochure and copy rooms to the restrooms, and renovating the backroom and lobby. Cavin said the back bathrooms will be renovated to meet ADA requirements. To preserve event access, staff will carve a small workspace from split copy/brochure rooms for Zoom calls or office use when the White Pine Room is unavailable.

Board members asked about scheduling and disruption. Cavin said construction would be phased around events and estimated approximately eight months for demolition and construction; staff said they will try to schedule the most disruptive work in lower-activity summer months. Cavin and staff plan to circulate a PDF of the conceptual floor plan to Board members who were not present for earlier discussions so they can review the schematic layout.

The Board did not vote on design approval at the meeting; staff described the project as still in early design phases.