Work on Hyart lobby repair moves closer to finish

One year after a burst pipe flooded the lobby of the historic Hyart Theatre in downtown Lovell, work on the ceiling of the theater lobby is moving the repair project a major step forward.
The theater was closed for two months following the water line break as work was performed to remove asbestos-containing textured ceiling material from the lobby, make repairs, deep clean, move and replace some equipment and move and re-stock supplies.
The Hyart re-opened the weekend of March 3-4, though the lobby still lacked the rich, woolen carpet that had been removed, and the ceiling was left scarred from the asbestos plaster removal.
Not much has transpired regarding the repair project over the past 10 months as the Hyart Board has worked on insurance issues regarding the carpet replacement, but the board decided this fall to move ahead with the lobby ceiling repair, hiring A&N Drywall and Construction of Lovell to do the work.
“That’s the first step that needs to be completed before carpet and repainting,” Hyart Board president Mike Steenbakkers said.
Owner/operator Brenton Nuttall and daughter Marianece of Nuttall Enterprises started work on December 17 to apply three layers of skim coat, made of drywall mud.
The first task after protecting the lobby with a protective plastic shield was filling in the deep cervices in the remaining plaster with Durabond self-hardening mud, then masking to prepare for the skim coat. The first layer of skim coat was applied, then left to dry for more than 30 hours, followed by a second layer. The lobby was then cleaned up for the Friday and Saturday movies.
This week, following sanding, the Nuttalls have been applying the third skim coat layer, with more sanding to follow, then texturing the third layer in a brush knockdown pattern, after which a prime sealer will be applied. The work should be completed by the end of the week, Brenton said.
With the ceiling finished, lobby painting will commence, as well as replacing the drapes at the entrance to the main theater room. Carpet replacement will follow.
“We’re hoping toward the first of the year we can be getting the carpet situation figured out,” Steenbakkers said. “We’ve been working with the insurance company on a good solution. We will be replacing it with a similar type of carpet. That’s the hope.
“We’re working toward a solution to get a nice carpet in there. It won’t be the same, but it will be a good, quality carpet.”
Another related, though separate, project is replacing the lighting in the iconic Hyart sign and marquee after hail destroyed the neon lights five years ago. The sign was painted in the fall of 2022, and new LED lights are being planned.
“We’re continuing to work on it,” Steenbakkers said. “We anticipate being able to get it installed this spring or by early summer, and we’re looking to make further repairs on the marquee board.”