Sean C. Morgan
The Corner Cup restaurant reopened last week and the Rio Theater is scheduled to reopen on Friday after their owners closed last month to deal with pipes that burst during the cold snap in early December.
In both cases, overhead pipes froze and burst. The pipes ran below an attic area above an apartment at the Rio. Water poured out and damaged the apartment, the lobby, the concessions area and restrooms.
“It’s going pretty good,” said Rio owner Mike Kinney. “It’s coming along real good.”
This week included some more work in the lobbies and restrooms, including new ceiling tiles and bathroom fixtures. Kinney was planning to retrieve his popcorn machine from a shop in Portland, where he sent it for repairs.
The first floor, including the lobby, concessions and bathrooms have been painted, and the flooring has been replaced.
“It’s a whole different ballgame when you get in there,” Kinney said. “It’s really looking great.”
Kinney is planning new paint for the auditorium, and he’s planning to expand concessions with some new items, such as pizza and bottled water, he said. After reopening, Kinney still has repairs to complete in the apartment upstairs.
Kinney said he’s getting by “barely” after closing for more than a month.
“The insurance company has been taking care of everything,” Kinney said, but he has still lost income. He is planning to file for the lost income.
The Rio will return to action with “Frozen” on Friday, Kinney said, and he plans to premiere quite a few movies in February.