In the aftermath of nine months’ work Centennial Hall’s ballrooms are brand new with lighting, sound, and heat systems.
The span style=”font-weight font-weight: 400 ;”>”We are in full swing,” said Kathleen Harper who is the house manager at the convention center. “We are completely booked from mid-November to the middle of December.” .”
Harper declared that Centennial Hall can fit about 500 guests for banquets. The next largest space could be Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall in the Andrew Hope Building, which can accommodate 400 people. The high schools are able to accommodate large numbers of students but they’re not able to serve alcohol.
Many event organizers, Harper said, this is the only place that can meet the needs of their event.
“We’re already beginning to plan for 2024 and 2025.” she added.
Centennial Hall closed in December for repairs. Juneau voters voted in favor of the issue of a $7 million bond that will finance the renovations in 2019.
The newly renovated ballroom features new acoustic panels that are installed on the walls that aim to cut down on the sound echo. New dividers that can be moved are able to divide the vast space into three or two smaller spaces, easily slide on their tracks.
There are new 90 lighting fixtures as well as 53 brand fresh speakers.
“Each particular speaker and every theater lighting receptacle, could be controlled separately instead of as a whole,” said Eric Brewer the project manager of Alcan Electrical & Engineering.
All of this can be accomplished using laptops. Prior to this, five to ten people been required to walk on the catwalk in the middle of the area and manually adjust the lighting at times during events.
“It could be pre-programmed to let you click a button to start and everything is controlled and automated, meaning that the computer does the entire thing,” Brewer said.
Three ballrooms is now individually cooled or heated. Six heat pumps perform the job from an area on the other opposite side.
“If one is only renting a ballroom, we are able to chill or heat the other one, and all three are identical,” said Lisa EaganLagerquist as the city’s engineering projects manager.
This new system of heating isn’t just the most sustainable part in the plan. EaganLagerquist stated that Carver Construction, the construction company that was hired by Carver Construction, kept around 80% of the construction garbage out of landfills by recycling or reusing it. She hopes that the City will keep monitor the same sustainability measures in the future on projects.
span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”In Juneau Naturally we have an empty landfill,” she said. “We would like to carry on the same process on CBJ projects. First by establishing a system for tracking the amount of waste you’re removing. If you don’t keep track of it, you’ll never increase .”
EaganLagerquist stated that she’s thrilled to see Juneau people and attendees listen to the brand new sound system, and also see the new lighting.
Conventions for board games Platypus Con will mark the very first event for the public to be to be held in the newly renovated space beginning in September. 8-10. The 8th annual Glitz drag show will be held on September. 15 and 16.
