The Future of the Ector Theater is Once Again Uncertain

The plans for the updating and renovation of the historic Ector Theater is back to being in the uncertain column.

According to YourBasin.com, the reason for the uncertain future is that the price tag on the cost to renovate has doubled to $10 million.

Earlier in the year the city confirmed that the renovation costs would be at $5 million, but they quickly found out that the contractors could not do the job for $5 million and the new estimate for the renovation had doubled to $10 million.

Public Works Director Thomas Kerr said in a statement,  "I think our expectations from the beginning were probably wrong...well they were wrong. Those expectations were created poorly as you would say...we just had bad numbers."

The architects draft of the cost factored in things that Odessa City Council had not considered when they proposed the original $5 million budget.

The new cost will go before City Council and has to be approved by July 24, 2018 or else the whole project could be scrapped completely.