ACTION:
____________________________
Clerk/Secretary
Department: City Manager Item No: D2
Prepared by:
Margaret Hamer, Recreation & Community
Services Director Meeting Date: September 8, 2026
Approved by: John Conley, City Manager Agenda Location: Discussion SUBJECT: AVO PLAYHOUSE PRIORITY MAINTENANCE
RECOMMENDATION: Discuss prioritization of the AVO Playhouse deferred maintenance and provide direction to staff.
CORRELATION TO CITY COUNCIL GOALS: Parks and Recreation and Economic Development PRIOR ACTION: On May 26, 2026, discussed the operations and proposed upgrades to the AVO Playhouse and provided direction to staff (Vote: No vote).
On March 11, 2025, received the recommendation of the AVO Theater Advisory Stakeholder Committee and directed staff to issue Request for Proposals that includes public access element and bring back potential funding sources for repairs, AVO Theater usage data, and lower fee rate opportunities for City Council review (Vote: 5-0).
On March 26, 2024, adopted City Council Resolution No. 2024-38, establishing a temporary advisory stakeholder committee for the Avo Theater (Vote: 5-0).
On February 27, 2024, adopted City Council Resolution 2024-26, approving the acceptance of General Fund Grant GP2325- 0 City of Vista, for the AVO Playhouse Rehabilitation & ADA Upgrades Project and directed staff to create a stakeholder group and utilize a Request for Proposal process (Vote: 5-0).
STATEMENT ON THE SUBJECT: On May 26, 2026, staff presented the outcome of the AVO Playhouse RFP, along with updated deferred maintenance costs. Those costs had increased by approximately $500,000 since the last assessment in March 2025, which had estimated the total at $1,296,500. Because the RFP received no responses, staff recommended that the City Council consider funding the deferred maintenance directly, now totaling $1,803,000, to make the facility a more viable venue for an outside operator and for rental use.
Because these funds are not currently budgeted, the Council discussed allocating year-end funding to the project in November and requested a prioritized list identifying the most important items to address if the full amount cannot be funded at once.
The list below prioritizes items in the following order: safety, energy efficiency, aesthetic improvements, and audience experience, bundled by category with each category's total cost.
AGENDA
REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
SUCCESSOR AGENCY
BUENA SANITATION DISTRICT
JOINT POWERS FINANCING AUTHORITY
Discussed the AVO Playhouse Priority Maintenance list and directed staff to bring back for discussion as part of the Year End Fund Balance. No vote taken.
MEETING DATE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2026 PAGE 2
SUBJECT: AVO PLAYHOUSE PRIORITY MAINTENANCE
AVO PRIORITY LIST September 2026
Safety Priority
Seating area Curved Ceiling – Need new ceiling tiles. $350,000 Replace theater seats. $175,000
Sign Tower needs to be replaced/rebuilt $550,000
Upstairs subflooring needs to be replaced. $75,000
category cost $1,150,000
Energy Efficiency
Replace ceiling lights in seating area with LED. $20,000 Replace exterior hanging globe lights with LED. $15,000 Seating area lighting upgraded to dimmable LED. (Interior & Exterior). $35,000
Lighting upgrade to dimmable LED $120,000
Replace Marquee with digital displays, replace tower neon with LED, replace all neon around front entry and new lettering on tower.
$220,000
category cost $410,000
Aesthetic Improvements
Replace carpet in lobby and aisles in seating area. $25,000 Front doors – Main front doors need to be replaced. $60,000 Re-stain exterior concrete $8,000
Repaint interior/exterior. $30,000
category cost $123,000
Audience Experience
Sound $60,000
Video $60,000
category cost $120,000
Total estimate $1,803,000
Staff also presented this priority list to Downtown Vista, the Moonlight Cultural Foundation, the Moonlight Stage Productions Division, Vista Public Arts Commission, and the Friends of the AVO. The Friends of the AVO is a newly formed non-profit corporation established August 12, 2026, with the purpose to plan, promote, and produce affordable community arts events at the AVO Playhouse and surrounding downtown areas; collaborate with local talent and businesses to engage the community; provide educational opportunities for local youth interested in the arts and preserve its historical and cultural identity and influence. Their input is summarized in Exhibit 1.
Staff recommend that the City Council discuss the priority list and provide direction on which repairs to fund and on next steps, in preparation for the year-end funding review. It is important to note that the cost of this deferred maintenance increased by $500,000 in the past year, and items not selected for funding are likely to increase further in cost.
FISCAL IMPACT: This discussion item carries no direct fiscal impact. The estimated cost to complete the listed deferred maintenance items and upgrades is $1,803,000. Pending direction from the City Council, staff 09/08/2026 D2 2 of 5
MEETING DATE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2026 PAGE 3
SUBJECT: AVO PLAYHOUSE PRIORITY MAINTENANCE
will identify appropriate funding source(s) for this project at a future date. Staff recommend that use of the Year-End Fund Balance be considered as the funding source for this project.
EXHIBIT:
1.AVO Playhouse Community Maintenance Prioritization Input 09/08/2026 D2 3 of 5
AVO Playhouse Community Maintenance Prioritization Input Staff presented the May 2026 priority list to the following community and stakeholder groups. A summary of each group's feedback is provided below.
Downtown Vista
1.Recommends starting with minor upgrades ($25,000–$30,000) to the concession area, which is currently not functional for vendors to serve beverages. •This item is not on staff's current list but was independently raised by Moonlight Stage Productions staff as well.
2.Sound and video — $120,000
Total: $120,000
Friends of the AVO – newly formed non-profit on August 12, 2026
1.Rebuild or replace sign tower — $550,000
2.Sound and video — $120,000
Total: $670,000
Moonlight Cultural Foundation — identified top three priorities
1.Seating area curved ceiling — replace ceiling tiles — $350,000 Their highest priority. Additional ceiling tiles reportedly appear to have fallen with each visit to the AVO. No audience member or child has been injured to date, but the Foundation considers this critical for patron safety.
2.Replace theater seats — $175,000
Many seats show significant wear — some are held together with tape, and others are missing armrests or have damaged cushions and springs. The Foundation is concerned about the experience of patrons during sold-out performances given the seating's condition.
3.Sound system improvements — $120,000
An ongoing operational challenge: the venue's acoustics require sound designers already familiar with its quirks, and even experienced designers can struggle to achieve consistent, high-quality amplified sound at or near capacity.
Total: $645,000
Moonlight Stage Productions Division – Moonlight staff input
1.Safety — the division's top priority and primary concern.
2.Audience experience — a new sound system, projector, and screen are needed to expand the range of shows the AVO can host; the current system is limiting interest from some prospective user groups. The division also recommends adding the concession area redesign to this category.
3.Energy efficiency — once safety and audience-experience needs are addressed and programming increases, energy efficiency improvements will meaningfully reduce costs for both the City and renters.
4.Aesthetic improvements — these items improve the AVO's appearance but do not affect programming, safety, or operations, and should rank lowest in priority.
Total: $1,803,000 (supports funding the full list)
Vista Public Arts Commission
Reviewed at the Commission's August 12, 2026 meeting.
09/08/2026 D2 4 of 5
EXHIBIT 1
1. Commissioners suggested having artists paint the exterior of the AVO instead of re-staining the concrete. Youth Commissioner Jordan supported this idea and suggested engaging Vista Youth to complete the painting.
2. Commissioners recommended the City launch a capital campaign or pursue grant funding to help fund the renovations.
3. Commissioners noted that other cities, such as Carlsbad, make use of the AVO, and expressed interest in seeing greater access for Vista Unified School District (VUSD) schools.
Potential savings: $8,000 if the exterior concrete is painted by artists rather than re-stained. 09/08/2026 D2 5 of 5