HERMANN — Last Wednesday evening, Missouri S&T students met with the Showboat Theater board of directors at the Hermann Library, to present their plans for renovating portions of the historic theater. 

The two teams of students from Dr. Joan Schuman’s Introduction to Project Management class spent months developing preliminary project designs, schedules, and budgets based on the theater’s requirements.   

The first team was tasked with renovation of the existing restrooms, and team members took turns describing the scope of the project. The ladies room is slated to receive only cosmetic updates. The men’s room, which features a large room containing only a single sink, and two closets which house a toilet and two awkwardly close urinals, requires a complete redesign and renovation.

Because of stairs required to reach the restrooms’ basement location, the existing restrooms will not be ADA accessible even after renovation. The board does plan to make the restrooms themselves ADA compliant, even though they will not be ADA accessible.

The team of three students presented two potential mens’ room layouts to board members. The plans were similar in function, with both providing one ADA stall, one standard stall, and two urinals. The main difference was in the layout. Renovation of the existing restrooms is estimated to take 238 days and cost around $80,000, which includes an allowance for contingencies.

The second team, comprised of five students, was tasked with the larger project of replacing the theater’s water damaged lean-to addition. The primary goal of the new space is to add an ADA accessible restroom in addition to replacing the existing dressing rooms. Board members also want to include a second floor for storage, and specified that the project schedule should allow for completion by Oct 1, 2024 and cost could not exceed $150,000.

The students’ plan met all requirements, as well as offering a few value engineering ideas to reduce cost. They anticipated their project to take approximately six months and come in just under their $150,000 budget.  Their estimate also included a contingency allowance.

“We really hope that all the work we’ve done this last semester will be of use to this community,” said MS&T student Joseph Luetkenhaus. While the students’ plans give board members a jumping off point, the final design will have to be adjusted and stamped by licensed professionals.

Theater restoration is partially funded by grants, but donations and profits from the concession stand also go into the restoration fund. If you would like to donate to the Showboat Community Theatre, the address is 112 East 4th, Street, Hermann, Mo., 65041.