Apr. 18--HARLINGEN -- City officials have awarded a contract to begin interior renovation work at the Municipal Auditorium, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Dolly in July.

CAS, a local company, received a $513,500 contract to replace lighting, theatrical fixtures, seating and interior finishes, said Joel Humphries, city director of arts and entertainment.

Another company recently received a contract for roof repairs.

Funding to repair the auditorium is a mixture of Federal Emergency Management Agency money, insurance proceeds and from the Texas Office of Rural Community Affairs, Humphries said Friday.

The city has also applied for grants to make up for some of the costs not covered by FEMA or insurance, Humphries said. Funding from the city's Catastrophic Emergency Fund will temporarily make up the difference, but it is hoped grants will compensate the city for lost income from the auditorium being closed for the season, he said.

"We're trying to recoup some of the lost revenue from not having shows or renting out the auditorium," he said. "We've got to move forward.

"The community has made that patently clear, we've just got to get moving (on repairs and renovation)," he said.

In other business, commissioners approved:

--A $116,321 contract to renovate the present municipal court area at the Lon C. Hill Memorial Building was awarded to Rigney Construction & Development Co. City departments, including the parks department will be located there in about a month after the new police station and municipal court building on Fair Park Boulevard is ready for use, staff members said. Seven sealed bids were received for the job.

--A measure to ensure that commissioners serving under the present at-large (by place) system will continue to serve in their positions if there is a runoff election for the new single-member district seat that will replace their seat.

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