The City Hall auditorium will soon look better than ever thanks to an overall upgrade project that aims to restore this iconic building to its former glory.

The City has just appointed a heritage architect to manage refurbishments to the auditorium, after the carved roses on the ceiling began to disintegrate late last year. The architect will appoint a team to rehabilitate the roses, repaint the ceiling, and carry out various other repairs to the auditorium. In the interim, netting has been installed to protect visitors from stray rubble falling from the ceiling.

The refurbishment of the auditorium is part of the Sport, Recreation and Amenities Department’s overall turnaround strategy for the City Hall and includes a long list of upgrades that have already been completed. Last year, the City carried out repairs to the roof, clock, electrical reticulation, pipe organ, and the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) back room. The chandelier cables were rewired and repaired, and the lettering on the Main Hall chairs was replaced. The foyer and first and second floor walls and ceiling were painted, and the paneling was sanded and varnished in the Press Room and two rooms on the first floor.

Upgrades to and modernisation of the first set of four toilets is very near complete, save for minor touches. In early January crews painted the auditorium ceiling and walls and refurbished the woodwork and stage area. The passages, walls and ceilings surrounding the auditorium are currently being painted.

The present phase of the upgrade will see additional painting on the second floor, refurbishment of the remaining toilets, and continued restoration of the interior and exterior woodwork. Staff are currently in the process of painting the second floor entrance area and passage.

In addition to the once-off repairs, routine maintenance has been scheduled, including:

• The appointment of a contractor to clean all of the windows every second month, in addition to regular cleaning by staff members.
• The appointment of a contractor to conduct a major clean-up prior to every major booking at the City Hall, in addition to regular supervised cleaning conducted by staff members.
  
• The maintenance of daily work sheets relating to cleaning and general housekeeping which are made available to the District Manager.
  

Staff resources at the City Hall are also being optimised, with hiring of extra staff and the provision of additional support and training for security staff.

The CPO International Music Festival commences this week, with concerts on 20 and 22 January, and 1, 3, 5 February 2011. The refurbishment crews will work around the festival schedule so as to ensure minimal inconvenience.