THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605100062
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: VIRGINIA BEACH AMPHITHEATER
COUNTDOWN: 3 DAYS TO GO UNTIL OPENING
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
NATURE HAS NOT been kind to the builders of the new Virginia Beach Amphitheater.
As this Wednesday's opening show neared, rain continued to slow work on the last minute-details at the city's showcase for the performing arts.
Delays from winter and spring rains have cut more than 30 days out of the construction schedule. But they will not stop Bruce Hornsby from taking the stage.
``We don't have any choices any more,'' said Michael L. Daniels, project manager for general contractor W.M. Jordan Co. ``Yes, we will finish on time.''
The buildings are nearly finished, Daniels said last week, with cosmetic details remaining undone but scheduled for completion pending decent weather.
A major stumbling block has been the asphalt paving for the pedestrian walkways. The gravel beds under the walkways must be dry before the asphalt can be laid, he said. Asphalt would degrade if laid on top of wet stone.
``We have got to get more asphalt down and wrap up the landscaping,'' Daniels said. ``It's going to take a lot of effort. Ideally, we'll need a couple more days of good weather. If it had not rained last weekend - and on Tuesday - we would have wrapped it up by now.''
The bottom line, however, is this: Enough of the project is completed to hold a show right now. The power is on. The plumbing works. The concession stands are in place and mostly operational. The grass on the lawn is in place, though other landscaped areas are still partly soil and seed.
Most of the construction trailers have pulled out, and an expanded cleanup crew was scheduled to pull weekend duty of raking debris and generally sprucing up the place.
``We'll have the asphalt down,'' said Jeff M. Griffin of Griffin Associates of Alexandria, the project's development manager.
``And we'll have the trees and bushes planted. You know, you'd like to have everything just perfect for the opening day, but we may not get that. Still, I'd rather be dealing with grass seed than, say, a crack in the foundation.'' by CNB