Beginning Monday, the escalators at Bank OZK Arena will be "out of commission" for over three months as part of a $375,000 project to replace the equipment installed when the arena opened in 2003.
Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, said the escalators are "now obsolete and (it is) very hard to get parts."
The escalators are located at the eastern end of the arena's lobby area at the corner of Convention Boulevard and Laurel Street.
Schindler Elevator Corp. is doing the work at a cost of $319,754 for two escalators manufactured in Clinton, North Carolina, Arrison said.
"We will have additional costs of a general contractor, so we are estimating the project, when completed, will cost right around $375,000," he said.
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The cost is being paid "out of our capital budget for 2021," Arrison said.
The goal is to complete the project prior to the start of state basketball finals in March.
Starting Monday, the main arena entrance at the corner of Convention Boulevard and Laurel Street will be closed, Jennifer Wolcott, director of operations for the Hot Springs Convention Center and Bank OZK Arena, said in an email earlier this week.
The main accessible entrance to the arena will be at the corner Church and Laurel Street, she said.
Arena entrances for events until work is completed will be:
• Main accessible entrance, corner of Church and Laurel Street.
• Grand Lobby entrance on Convention Boulevard.
• Hanamaki exhibit entrance, at the doors between Grand Lobby and the arena on Convention Boulevard.
All the entrances will have signage. There will be a wall built at the top of the stairs/escalators blocking that entire corner of the arena, Wolcott said.
Wolcott said events will still be held in the arena, but there will be signage throughout the building and at the entrances to direct people to the available entrances.