Construction on the Garvin Theater encountered a delay this summer that will push opening night back until fall 2011, officials said.

The drama/music and Garvin modernization is budgeted to cost $17.3 million. That includes additional changes pending, according to an e-mail from Measure V’s Program Manager Steve Massetti.

But $16.8 million has already been spent. That leaves roughly $500,000 before the project goes over. And with a revised finish date another year away, any further unforeseen conditions may prevent the project from hitting its fiscal target.

Work was going as scheduled until the subcontractor providing steel girders for retrofitting the structure ran into financial trouble and had to be replaced.

But Diani construction group, which oversees the project, found a new fabricator for the steel and has since resumed the Measure V funded reconstruction and modernization.

David Jaworski, Diani’s foreman on the site, explained that work resumed fairly quickly despite the wait for a new steel mill.

He also pointed out that The Division of the State Architect has been much faster at reviewing and approving revisions to Garvin’s remodel.

The division oversees design and construction for community colleges, and work can’t start or be changed without a green light from it.

“They’re usually faster during an economic downturn,” Jaworski said, referring to the fewer number of new and ongoing projects needing an okay fromhe state.

One such major change to the plan involved the roof. Water damage was uncovered after remodeling began, so the whole thing had to be replaced.

That wasn’t anticipated. As Massetti points out, some things simply aren’t known at the outset.

“There are always unforeseeable conditions,” he said.

Any given remodeling, be it a garage or multi-million dollar performance space, may reveal hidden damage once walls get torn down and floors ripped open. Massetti and the Diani team recognize that possibility and said they deal with whatever comes up.

Sometimes such a surprise is easily correctable. But as in the case of the Garvin roof or previous discoveries in its foundations, it isn’t.

Massetti recounted how digging in the ground in order to place new reinforced concrete support columns for the Garvin unearthed hundreds of yards of conduit that needed to be removed. Nobody expected them because they didn’t show up in any of the old schematics the team inspected.

But not all unexpected discoveries have been as expensive or time consuming. Jaworski shared that he was able to finally pry open the Garvin’s old floor safe and found two pennies.

“I suspect they left that on purpose,” he said.

There are three basic parts to the work being done by Diani.

First there is the core and shell. In simple terms, that entails the structure itself. The Garvin’s walls, floors, plumbing, electricity, and the roof all get a makeover that will provide students with updated dressing rooms, personal lockers and new shower stalls. The theater’s new orchestra shell is part of this phase.

Theater specialties will handle any and everything about the remodel specific to it being a theater such as curtains, rigging and audience seating. This phase provides the new Garvin with an added bonus – the old orchestra pit had a four by eight foot elevating platform. The remodel replaces that with a bigger version allowing the entire pit to rise and lower.

Both the Garvin and drama/music building’s classrooms and rehearsal spaces will get up-to-date sound systems as part of the expanded audio and visual package, plus some new additions.

Away from the crowds and limelight, students work to hone their performance skills in special sound proof rehearsal rooms located next door in the drama/music department. Those nine spaces will be back and wired for audio and joined by two new handicap accessible versions, complete with windows offering views of the Pacific.

The smaller Jerkowitz black box theater is getting attention, too. Gone are the catwalks once used by rigging crews. Instead, an expanded tension grid will run the length and width of the performance space below it.

The refurbished Garvin will also have a new enclosed south lobby where an open space between the theater and drama/music departments once lay.

Once the buildings are ready, theater and music students won’t have to attend classes in portables. Humanities building classrooms will shift to them next for the time it takes to complete its estimated $9 million worth of improvements.

“As of now, the swing space plan is on hold,” Massetti said.