CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
The Charleston AFB movie theater opened Wednesday after being closed for more than two years for construction.
Construction of the theater began in September 2005. Since then, crews conducted a total renovation to include expanding the lobby, applying new brick and stucco, and incorporating structural upgrades including seismic and force protection measures.
Additionally, new heating and ventilation systems, plumbing, electrical, acoustics and sound systems were incorporated into the construction of the theater.
Several quality of life enhancements were also incorporated into the redesign of the theater making it more enjoyable to Airmen, retirees and their families.
"The base theater was in really bad condition," said Dennis Patton, general manager of the Army and Air Force Exchange Services here on Charleston AFB. "Basically the original seating and sound systems were out of date and in need of updating and replacing."
Mr. Patton said the new sound system in the base theater is now state-of-the-art and will provide a more enjoyable experience.
"The new sound system has digital processors that take the digital encoding off the film as it is being played and goes to certain speaker channels to enhance the sound," said Mr. Patton. "This way, the movie patrons can hear the sounds the way the motion picture producer intended them to hear it."
AAFES also removed and completely refurbished the projectors, bringing them up to current movie theater standards. They also purchased new projector bulbs and a new picture screen.
"We purchased the new projector bulbs so the audience could see a brighter and clearer vivid picture," said Mr. Patton. "Additionally, we also purchased a new picture screen to heighten the movie going experience."
Mr. Patton said the project was designed to improve the quality of life for all Airmen, retirees and family members on Charleston AFB.
Before construction started on the base theater, the 437th Civil Engineer Squadron helped design a master plan to incorporate additional features into the theater so it could be used for more than just showing movies.
"The new theater has been redesigned so it can now accommodate large gatherings, commander's calls and stage productions," said Bill Dean 437 CES, Engineering Flight Chief. "The new theater has a state-of-the-art sound system and sound production table to handle acoustics and music."
In addition to new stadium seating and sound system, the theater now has other quality of life improvements that were added into its new design.
"A lot of complaints used to be received about the size of the concession area and the bathrooms not being handicapped accessible," said Mr. Dean. "As part of the re-construction, the concession area, lobby and bathrooms were lengthened by more than 1,250 square feet and refurbished to make them both larger and handicapped accessible."
Mr. Dean said the entire building is now in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
'The stage, projection room, bathrooms and all areas of the facilities are now accessible to the handicapped; whereas, in the old theater, they weren't," said Mr. Dean. "This way, all patrons and employees can access any portion of the theater."
Airmen wishing to use the theater for their unit or group commander's calls or other gatherings should contact the 437th Services Squadron Outdoor Recreation Center at 963-5270.