Coming attractions at theater  Roof upgrades nearly complete; other changes must wait for FY09  Susanne Kappler  Leader Staff

The ticket booth will not reopen in the near future, but the renovation of the Fort Jackson theater has begun. The facility has been closed since April 30, 2007, because of its deteriorating condition. At the time, funding for the renovation was not available. “Earlier in this fiscal year, funds were approved for the total restoration,” said Clyde Reynolds, director of public works. “A contract to replace the roof was let and is under way.” The roof restoration is scheduled to be completed within the next few weeks, but more work on the inside is needed before the theater can reopen. “The total restoration of the theater will take longer than anticipated,” Reynolds said. “The remainder of the restoration was planned to follow the roof replacement. Recently, some very urgent critical requirements arose, which required immediate funding. The remainder of the theater restoration had to be deferred to fiscal year ‘09 to free up funding for those (projects).” While there is no timeline for the completion of the restoration, Col. Lillian Dixon, Fort Jackson garrison commander, is hopeful that the project will not incur any more delays. “Restoring the movie theater is high on the garrison’s list of priorities,” she said. “Hopefully, the remaining work will be under way no later than the first quarter of fiscal year ‘09.”  In addition to showing movies, the theater is also used for unit training purposes and other functions. It was built in 1967.