By BRUCE GOULD, guest columnist

The weather has finally given a few breaks from rain that has allowed work on the road and parking area at the Brown County Music Center to proceed. Topsoil that was scraped into piles is not suitable for compaction, so some of those piles are being hauled away and the rest saved to spread over areas that will be landscaped.

Parking lot wiring for the post lights has been buried and light post bases have been installed.

Many of the lighting fixtures in the lobby, restrooms and concession areas have been installed and covered in plastic bags. Wiring for electric, internet, telephone, security and other functions continues to be pulled through conduits. Some of the many breaker boxes in various locations throughout the building have been installed with wires pulled to them.

The air conditioning in the building is turned on and functioning very well. The theater temperature is about 60 degrees and the air conditioning will assist greatly in drying out the building and keeping the humidity reduced. Heating and cooling units are located on the roof, so the only sound generated inside the building will be the movement of air in the duct system.

The restroom area floors, some of the hallway floors, and part of the theater floors have been cleaned and a polish applied, so the finished floors are covered with a rolled-out, thin cardboard to protect the floors from being scratched. Handrails have been installed on the stairs in the theater.

All of the outside doors have been installed, including the garage doors for the loading dock. The building is now completely locked up when no construction crews are on site. All but a few interior doors have been installed. There are still several pieces of lifting equipment inside the building, so the remaining doorways cannot be installed until the equipment is no longer needed and removed.

The 30-foot-tall wall separating the stage from backstage is completed and painted. About 70 percent of the painting throughout the building has been completed and additional areas are painted daily.

In the backstage area, the changing rooms and mechanical rooms are taking shape. The changing rooms, called green rooms, will contain full bathrooms with showers and be furnished with living space similar to a living room. The mechanical room will contain all of the master controls for lighting and sound throughout the building.

The stage decking has been applied. The stage is concrete, but to make the stage less physically exhausting to stand on for extended periods of time, a layer of plywood has been laid on the stage concrete, then a layer of Celotex, and then another layer of plywood. This combination will provide enough support for heavy equipment or sets but also provide a more comfortable surface to stand on.

Behind the building is a location where the buses, RVs or trailers used by the performers can connect to sewer, water and electrical connections as a convenience, even though performers would probably not be staying overnight in their mobile accommodations.

Sidewalks around the outside of the building are continuing to be poured. Once the sidewalks closest to the building are completed, grading for the yard around the building will create the beer garden and family garden areas.

A tentative date of July 12 has been set to begin paving. As more site work is performed to allow rain to flow away from the building, the site dries out more quickly and more time can be devoted to site preparation. The building downspouts are being installed and connected to the storm drainage system, so a considerable amount of rainwater that had run out onto the ground is now diverted into the drainage system. We are all thankful for the reduced rainfall so we can catch up on site work.

Bruce Gould is vice president of the Maple Leaf Management Group. Any questions about the Brown County Music Center can be sent to [email protected].