Air conditioning installation begins at Lynn Auditorium

LYNN – Long-awaited air conditioning is finally being installed at Veterans Memorial Auditorium.”It’s been a lot of paperwork, from appeals to bonding and bids to schematics,” said Community Development Director James Marsh. “It was bid twice but now the actual work has started.”Marsh along with Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy have been working on installing the cooling system in the decades-old 2,200-seat hall almost since she took office in 2010.Marsh said Kennedy realized early on that in order to compete with Boston venues for shows they needed a level playing field. Without air conditioning they didn’t have one.”We get going in September and come to a screeching halt in May, and you lose momentum when it comes to booking shows,” he said.Whenever he talks about the importance of air conditioning Marsh likes to tell the story about the first time the classic rock band Foreigner played the auditorium.”Mick Jones was introducing the next song and he said, ‘You’re as Cold as Ice but not in here,'” Marsh said. “Even in the dead of winter, when you have 2,000 people in there, it gets warm.”The project is scheduled to be finished by July, and Marsh hopes it’s completed on schedule because he has Cesar Millan booked for July 11.Inspectional Services Director Michael Donovan is overseeing the project but could not be reached for comment.Corey Booker is set to speak at the auditorium Sunday as part of the Salem State University Speakers Series but Marsh said the work won’t hinder the show. Look up in City Hall and you will see portions of the ceiling missing in various spots but that is by and large the only appearance that work is being done, he said.”Most of the work is contained in the hallways outside the auditorium,” he said. “When you walk into the auditorium you won’t see any difference because the duct work is already in place inside.”Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].