Historic Hilo theater set to reopen after sprinkler flooding
Hilo's Palace Theater was expected to reopen today, just five days after a faulty fire sprinkler valve flooded the 80-year-old theater and damaged its historic pipe organ.
Hawaii County firefighters, about 40 volunteers and professional cleaners have made "miraculous" progress since the leak was discovered early Thursday, said Cheryl "Quack" Moore, president of the theater's board of directors.
An office manager heard the sound of running water in the 500-seat theater at about 7 a.m. Thursday, Moore said. "She walked in, and (the) whole thing was pouring like a shower" from the 50-foot-high ceiling to the stage and orchestra pit below.
Once the water was cut off, the Hawaii County Fire Department removed the bulk of the water, which stood up to 4 feet deep in under-the-stage storage areas and the orchestra pit, Moore said.
Volunteers hauled truckloads of soaked fabrics, rugs, stage props and costumes to the dump on Friday. And John Massey's Kona All-Out Carpet Care is using professional-strength dehumidifiers, water extraction tools and fans to complete the cleanup, Moore said.
Four keyboards of the pipe organ, which is being reconstructed from the old Waikiki Theater on Oahu, were damaged and will have to be restored, Moore said. "But all the pipes in pipe chambers are fine, our screen is saved, our major curtain is saved," she said.
The theater canceled movie showings this weekend but expects to resume its full summer schedule, including concerts, movies and youth theater programs, despite the lack of carpet, Moore said.
A previously scheduled fundraiser for the theater on Friday will feature the world premiere of a new documentary film, "Rocking the Boat," by Big Island resident Jay Curlee.
"We thought we were going to use the funds raised for programs," Moore said. Instead, donations will go to the estimated $10,000 cleanup, she said.