The Coral Gables Art Cinema is one step closer to growing with a brand new screen and additional seating after a recent vote from the Coral Gables City Commission.
The commission voted last week to negotiate a deal with contractor West Construction to build a long-awaited cinema expansion to the tune of $1.24 million.
The city's administration recommended awarding the contract to the first place bidder, Hycon Investments, but Mayor Vince Lago pushed to go with West Construction because the firm is a "known entity" that worked previously on Coral Gables Fire Station 4.
"This art cinema expansion is a critical project that I want to make sure it gets delivered on time within budget. We need to really focus on that," Lago said.
The administration will now negotiate with West Construction to lower its bid from $1.25 million in order to beat Hycon's bid of $1.24 million. If West Construction can't beat the lower bid, the city will move forward with Hycon.
The Art Cinema, which shows international and independent films, plans to build a second screen, a 90-seat auditorium and a cafe with the goal of bringing in more revenue.
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