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Steamboat Springs — The city of Steamboat Springs Planning Commission on Thursday unanimously approved Strings in the Mountains' application to replace its existing tent with a permanent structure.

Strings president Kay Clagett said Strings should be ready to begin construction of the 9,107-square-foot music pavilion in August, and that it will be ready for the 2008 summer season.

"We want the pavilion to be able to match the level of music Strings presents," Clagett said. "The size of the stage should almost double to accommodate different types of music productions."

The new pavilion will not expand its current seating capacity of 550, because Strings officials do not want to erode the intimacy of the venue.

A replacement of the tent has been imminent because of weather damage.

"We have water issues and snow has stretched some of the canvas," Clagett said. "The tent has aged poorly, and we thought this was a good time to start this design process."

The new building will have sliding glass doors that will open in the summertime to retain some of the character of the tent, said architect Bill Rangitsch of Steamboat Architectural Associates.

He has consulted with a Canadian company, Spearhead Timberworks of British Columbia.

"This project has a very short time frame to work with. It will have to go up during the winter," Rangitsch said. "This is the only company that we found that was able to design, fabricate and install this building in the time frame we have."

The new structure will have air conditioning and heat to accommodate year-round performances, as parking allows. The estimated cost for the construction of the pavilion is $3 million.

Clagett is confident Strings will have the funding to stay on its anticipated schedule.

"This summer is our 20th anniversary," Clagett said. "We thought this would be a wonderful time to announce the building of this pavilion."

- To reach Allison Plean, call 871-4204

or e-mail aplean@steamboatpilot.com