Muckenthaler Renovation Delayed : Culture: Budget woes force new bids on refurbishing the outdoor theater. The summer season may have to be shortened.

Faced with budget problems, the Fullerton City Council on Tuesday voted to solicit a second round of construction bids for renovating the outdoor theater at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center and essentially shelved a planned upgrade of the center’s dining area, according to a city official.

The delay jeopardizes the theater’s 1991 summer season, according to Wes Morgan, superintendent of Fullerton’s Community Services Department. “We’re not ruling out a summer season, but if there is one, it will have to be shortened,” Morgan said.

Normally the season runs for 12 weeks between June and August and includes three productions.

Originally planning to renovate both the 200-seat dining area and the theater, city officials closed the hillside area for the refurbishments this past summer with hopes to reopen it in May. But the initial construction bids called for double the $700,000 that was budgeted, Morgan said, leading the officials to reevaluate.

“Our goal at this point is to (start soliciting) bids in January, begin work in February, spend about four months renovating the theater, hopefully be done by June, and be able to run a season in July and August,” Morgan explained.

He and others acknowledged that a lot depends on whether a troupe would be willing to participate in a truncated season. The Fullerton Civic Light Opera has been negotiating with city and Muckenthaler officials for use of the theater. CLO general manager Griff Duncan said Wednesday that the company would not be put off by a short season. “But we need a firm completion date” to prepare properly, he said.