Historic Joyce Garver Theater remodel nearing completion

The Camas School District's remodel of the historic Joyce Garver Theater has had its fair share of bumps in the road -- including initial construction bids that came in more than $2 million over budget and unexpected construction requirements to bring the building up to modern seismic codes -- but the project is finally nearing the finishing line. On Nov. 22, the Camas School Board approved a final batch of change orders needed to complete the 86-year-old theater's massive revamp. "I'm excited to bring this facility back to our community," school board member Doug Quinn said during on Nov. 22. "This has been a complicated remodel, to say the least." Originally contracted for $11,665,000, construction on the project required 20 change-order requests totaling more than $1.15 million for unforeseen and construction-related issues. Quinn complimented Heidi Rosenberg, the school district's director of capital programs, for bringing the project to completion with change orders coming in at just 9.9 percent of the original bid. "For a project of this magnitude and complexity ... you've managed it very well (with) under 10 percent change order," Quinn said. The school board approved $108,000 in change orders in September for change orders that included such things as adding sprinkler heads at the stairs to meet fire codes; putting an anti-graffiti coating on the concrete entry walls; putting in a new storm drain pipe connection; adding acoustic panels above the theater doors; and patching and repairing the parking lot. On Nov. 22, the board approved another $110,000 in change orders that included adding theater ramps, guardrails and handrails; replacing a dry valve and compressor; adding emergency egress lighting and floor marking to meet fire codes; and changing an engineered girt system to meet structural engineering requirements. Crews from the Tigard, Oregon-based TODD Construction have been revamping the historic theater for the past year. In her staff report, Rosenberg said the Garver Theater remodel was 98 percent complete as of Oct. 31, and has received a temporary certificate of occupancy as well as "substantial completion" status from the city of Camas. In January 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions, Mahlum Architects representatives presented a "walkthrough" video showing plans for the theater's interior, which include an open lobby with windows overlooking downtown Camas and the nearby Columbia River and a first-floor theater space. Located next to Liberty Middle School at the corner of Northeast 15th Avenue and Northeast Garfield, the theater was built in 1936, and used as an addition to the former Camas High School until the high school's demolition in the 1970s. The theater had a slight upgrade, with a new entry and a few interior revamps in the mid-1980s, and the district, as well as the community, used the theater as a performance center through 2009, when the school district shuttered the building due to safety concerns. Doreen McKercher, the school district's communications director, told The Post-Record in 2019 many Camas-Washougal residents likely remember the theater and its namesake, Joyce Garver, a former Camas drama, music and art teacher. "Some people remember her, and they have a tie to it," McKercher said of Joyce Garver and the Garver Theater. "They remember having performances there. It was still open when my kids would use it in elementary school. There's a whole range of ages of people who have a connection to this." Along with constructing the district's newest schools -- Lacamas Lake Elementary and Discovery High -- and upgrading several athletic fields, the renovation of the defunct Garver Theater was a priority in the school district's 2016 construction bond. The district had planned to debut the newly revamped theater in September, but have pushed back the theater's re-opening date. In October, Camas School Board member Corey McEnry told The Post-Record the district may do a "soft opening" before the end of 2021, but would likely do something bigger for the entire community in the spring of 2022.

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