KLCC to delay studio remodeling.

Byline: Greg Bolt The Register-Guard

Public radio station KLCC-FM will pare back plans for its new downtown Eugene studio after bids for the remodeling project came in well over budget.

The station will work with its architects and area contractors to find ways to cut costs while it continues to raise money for the project. The delay probably means the station won't be able to begin broadcasting from the new studio until the latter part of next year.

Station manager Steve Barton said the setback isn't all bad news. The delay will give the station time to refine some of the plans and push the work back toward winter, when costs might not be as high.

"We're going to do this; there's no question in my mind that we'll get it done," Barton said. "It's just been kind of a slight change in plans, and I feel good about our progress and what we've got ahead of us."

The low bid for the remodeling project was $759,000, well above the $480,000 budgeted for the job. At the station's recommendation, the Lane Community College board last week rejected all bids and the station will start the process over.

Barton said the high bids were probably the result of several factors. The cost of construction materials is going up, and local contractors have plenty of work with the PeaceHealth hospital in Springfield, the federal courthouse in Eugene and other large projects under way, he said. Also, he said, design plans for the project might not have been as specific as they could have been.

The effort now will be to find ways to cut costs, either by seeking less expensive design options or delaying some of upgrades planned for the station. The purchase of some of the new equipment that will allow a switch to all-digital broadcasts could be delayed, for example, and finishes and other amenities could be scaled back.

Refurbishing plans for the two-story building at 136 W. Eighth Ave. include two production studios, a larger on-air studio and news and production control rooms. A small performance space that can accommodate live, on-air shows with a small audience also is included.

The 8,200-square-foot building, formerly the home of Wings Seminars, is more than three times as large as the cramped 2,500-square-foot space the station occupies on the LCC main campus. KLCC paid $925,000 for the building.

Barton said KLCC has commitments for about two-thirds of the $2.3 million it is raising for the project. But he said the higher costs mean they may have to extend the fund drive and seek close to $2.5 million.

The fundraising efforts also received a small boost Thursday when Gov. Ted Kulongoski's office announced that a $10,000 Oregon Cultural Trust grant would be given to the KLCC project. It is one of 54 statewide grants totaling $1.1 million distributed by the trust for fiscal year 2007.