On Wednesday, the federal judge overseeing the Kennedy Center lawsuit ordered the center to give him a status report on the center's operation and programming within the next few weeks.Judge Christopher R.
Cooper also said that the Kennedy Center must explain the purpose and status of the tarp and scaffolding that have been placed over the front of the arts complex, where until recently both President Trump and President John F.Kennedy's names were both displayed.In a directive issued last Tuesday, Judge Cooper had given Kennedy Center administrators three days to update him on the arts complex's immediate plans regarding construction, programming and public access.
Trump, who now serves as the center's chairman, had announced July 5 as the date the venue would close for major renovations.Last Friday, on Cooper's due date, lawyers for the Kennedy Center filed a request asking for an extension.In that filing, Matt Floca, who was promoted as the center's president and CEO in March, said that the Kennedy Center's current management intends to present its board with "an array of options" for trustees to vote on at their next meeting on an unspecified date in mid-July.According to Floca, the options are a complete closure for extensive renovations; a partial closure "enabling some continued public access and limited programming" while some renovations are undertaken; and "a highly limited series of phased closures to address only the center's most serious infrastructure needs while scheduling and maintaining a full slate of programming."In his newest order, Cooper denied Floca's request for an extension.
And he mandated that the center file a status report within seven days of the center's July board meeting or by July 31, whichever date is earliest.He also ruled that the report must "indicate the purpose for and status of the tarp and scaffolding," which were erected by workers over the center's front signage in the early morning hours of June 13.When asked for comm...