METAIRIE, La. -- Design flaws are adding as much as $1.3 million to the cost of the Jefferson Performing Arts Center and are setting back its opening by up to 22 months - from this coming February to as late as December 2010.

That's after Hurricane Katrina, cypress roots and bedrock boosted the construction budget from $26.5 million to $31 million. The parish's capital projects manager, Reda Youssef, said errors in the original blueprints included too few fire exits and missing concrete footings.

Councilman Elton Lagasse said the design problems were bad enough to consider litigation against the original architect, Marcel Wisznia. He was not at his office Monday morning and could not be reached for comment.

The theater complex is being built at LaSalle Park near the New Orleans Zephyrs baseball stadium.