Millennium seating setback spotlights uncertain future for East Austin hub - Austin Monitor

"Nearly three years after the city approved funding to upgrade the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, the project remains incomplete. The wait for new theater seating to complete the upgrade has been pushed back to at least summer 2026 amid departmental transitions and procurement delays. The delay extends a yearslong effort to modernize the sizable East Austin cultural facility, which first opened in 1999 as a safe gathering place for neighborhood youth."

"During the recent Arts Commission meeting, several commissioners expressed disbelief that a relatively modest purchase could take years to complete. Chair Gina Houston said she first learned of the delay during that meeting and has since been in contact with Rally Austin. "Even if there was a three-month procurement process, we've had lots of time to put that order in," Houston said, referencing what she was told is a typical purchase window for goods by the city. "It's strange, and it's frustrating for the community.""

"The theater improvement funding was approved in December 2022 as part of the city's 2018 cultural bond package. Legal agreements between the city and Rally Austin took about nine months to finalize, with spending beginning in 2024. Work on other elements has proceeded gradually to complete new painting and electrical upgrades, wall and stage curtains and installation of a modern projection system."

Nearly three years after city approval, renovations at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex remain unfinished because new theater seating has been delayed to at least summer 2026 amid departmental transitions and procurement delays. The 100-seat theater has received new lighting, curtains, paint and a replacement cinema screen, but seating replacement remains pending. The $400,000 grant from Rally Austin funds the renovation. Funding approval occurred in December 2022 under the city's 2018 cultural bond, and legal agreements between the city and Rally Austin took about nine months to finalize, with spending beginning in 2024. Arts commissioners and Rally leaders have urged expedited procurement.

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