UTICA - It was an extremely difficult decision for theater officials to make. They had hoped to unveil the theater's multi-million dollar renovations to an eager community at the end of next month. But that's not going to happen.

Stanley officials say that with a project this size, it's no surprise that there are unforseen glitches and problems that only reveal themselves once the project is underway.

You can see one of the most obvious problems just walking or driving by the theater - its major renovations and new construction have to be done in a very cramped, urban setting.

Officials say it's not like building a new theater in the middle of a vacant lot. Additionally, there have been unforeseen problems related to the theater's age and the desire to preserve it. And an early, intense winter certainly didn't help.

John Faust, theater manager, says that in spite of the fact that the project will take three months longer than expected to complete, he doesn't expect going over budget and has no cost overruns to report at this point.

If you have tickets to "The Producers" that was supposed to be the theater's big comeback, call the Stanley Box Office 724-4000.  That number would be for Broadway Theater League show inquiries as well.

On Tuesday it was announced that the scheduled reopening date for the Stanley of Jan. 29 will be postponed. The announcement was made by the Central New York Community Arts Council. No date has been set for the potential reopening although there are performances scheduled for days following the original date.

Many reasons were given for the postponement by the CNYCAC Executive Director, Ronald L. Thiele. The reasons in include intense winter weather hitting the area earlier than anticipated, structural problems due to the building's old age, the work needed to preserve the building's historical character along with the physically small work area leading to constraints. Officials from the group want to stress that the time-line has progressed nearly as scheduled and will ultimately make the Stanley a contender in the country's finest performing art venues.

 The CNYCAC is in contact with representatives from the affected performances in order to organize possible alternative schedules.