Renovating a 46-year-old arena is complicated enough, but the COVID-19 pandemic has added additional design wrinkles to a potentially $100 million overhaul of the XL Center in Hartford.
There’s no telling exactly how long the virus will be a factor limiting attendance at sporting events and concerts, but the Capital Regional Development Authority (CRDA), the XL’s overseer, has to work new elements into its ongoing efforts to revitalize the venue’s lower bowl and mechanical systems.
“Going into the future, we have to think about that,” CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth told board members Thursday. “We have to screen people. We have to have different protocols with beverages and food — how it’s moved, where it’s stored, how it’s sold, and how to move people through the building.”
The agency must also think about implications for gathering areas, like fanclub facilities, the amount of time it would take to screen crowds as they enter the venue, and whether such screens will be temporary or needed for years to come.
Those all add complexity to the design process and budget for the renovations, the scope of which will depend on whether the Bond Commission, led by Gov. Ned Lamont, approves the $60 million in funds authorized by lawmakers last year. XL received $40 million in 2017.
Freimuth said CRDA staff are preparing to bid out the next round of work in the building, which could begin around March, and involves upgrading mechanical and electrical systems, among other tasks.
“We buy what we can afford and if we’re out of money we leave some things on the table, and therein lies the trick on how best to proceed,” he said.
Another complicating factor for the XL (and any other public venue) that has intensified in recent years is the need for heightened security screening, due in part to concert mass shootings, such as the one in Las Vegas in 2017, and soccer stadium bomb threats in Europe.
“The security demands today are far different than they were when we first started this analysis,” Freimuth said. “The XL Center never foresaw that in 1974.”
Even just a few years ago, Freimuth had assumed that renovation elements like the building’s IT backbone or high-end luxury seating would be most important. Now, it’s arguably safety and security.
“Those two priorities have jumped ahead of the line,” he said.
