- October 19, 2022
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When Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Executive Director Mary Bensel began her damage assessment presentation to the city’s Purple Ribbon Committee, she began by saying “The day after the hurricane, I was home …”
“Which one?” interjected committee Chair Lee-En Chung.
It was a poignant yet wholly appropriate question as the theater building precariously perched alongside Sarasota Bay weathered Hurricanes Helene and Milton over a span of 13 days.
While the Van Wezel took minor damage from Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene, it was Milton, Bensel said, that took its toll.
After missing its scheduled October meeting that was canceled in the wake of Milton, the committee reconvened on Nov. 7, when Bensel reported that while the structure held up well against the passing of Milton’s eye, several feet of water and all that it carried in from Sarasota Bay was deposited in the lower levels of the building.
The water has been removed along with the muck and sand and repairs are well underway, Bensel said. The estimated cost, not including revenue lost to the cancellation of the fall season of performances, is $7 million to $10 million.
In the wake of Milton, Bensel was at home when officers of the Sarasota Police Department arrived to take her to the Van Wezel, she told the committee, because fire alarms were sounding, the result salt water intruded electrical outlets and causing sparks. Although electricity was restored within a few days, it was lost again when the building’s transformer blew because of storm-related wire corrosion. Ever since, it has relied on backup generators, awaiting the arrival of Florida Power & Light to provide access to the transformer for repairs.
“We can't go off of generator power because we were down for three days with no electricity and air conditioning, and the walls started weeping downstairs and the floors were slick,” Bensel said.
The water intrusion was restricted to the lower levels of the building and did not impact the stage or seating areas. As many might expect, the breach did not occur through the multiple glass doors in the Grand Foyer, but rather through service doors at the bottom of the ramp on the south side of the building that leads to the kitchen.
From there, it worked its way up an interior ramp into the Grand Foyer, requiring all of the carpet to be removed. It will be replaced with polished concrete. Several pieces of kitchen equipment were left either floating or damaged by the salt water, much of it requiring repair or replacement.
In the basement level, dressing rooms and other staging areas took several inches of water. There, vinyl flooring and drywall were removed and must be replaced.
The lowest point of the building, which is below sea level — the orchestra pit — took on the most water. The water damaged the spiral lift equipment used to transport pieces of sets and the grand pianos to the stage. It also serves as the foundation for the first three rows of seating when not being used as an orchestra pit.
Parts are being shipped from Germany to replace the damaged components.That system itself costs about $250,000.
On the plus side, the pit functioned as a drain of sorts, preventing water damage to other areas of the building to remain dry.
Some committee members began offering suggestions for employing resilient materials as repairs are made. Bensel said she appreciated the advice, but added that time is of the essence and resilience matters may be addressed next summer.
“We're doing everything we can. We have a schedule. We've ordered furniture already. We've gotten things started. We're about ready to put the drywall in and paint it. They're going to start later this month with the polished concrete floors, and we're really on our way,” Bensel said before, citing multiple shows scheduled to begin on Jan. 2. ”The reason I get so crazy about it is that we said we would reopen Jan. 1. I don't want to lose the second half of the season.”
Committee member Charles Cosler asked Bensel if there is any consideration for installing a flood barrier system. Because the only point of entry into the building was that lone ramp into the lower level, Bensel said that would likely be the point of mitigation emphasis. Meanwhile, the proposed Sarasota Performing Arts Center, she added, is being designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop with resilience in mind.
Any such measures for the Van Wezel, she said, should be part of the Purple Ribbon Committee’s deliberations.
“We have always talked about the new hall building it up on 20-foot concrete pylons and the water goes underneath,” Bensel said. “When you consider what you're going to do with the Van Wezel, if the new building gets approved, I think you will have to consider all these things.”
