District staff say auditorium lighting, rigging and sound systems need replacement; Young & Wright invited for detailed Feb. 11 briefing

District staff reported on a recent Young & Wright building-condition review that flagged critical needs in the high-school and middle-school auditoriums, including obsolete lighting fixtures, failing house lights, aging rigging systems and inadequate sound boards. The review focused on safety- and function-critical components rather than aesthetic items such as seating or carpeting.

Administration provided preliminary cost estimates: roughly $2 million per high‑school auditorium and a total program estimate around $8.5 million across four auditoriums. The administration told the board that state building-aid formulas could reimburse roughly 76 percent of eligible capital costs; using that rate, the local share on an $8.5 million project would be about $2.1 million. Staff described financing the project by issuing debt (incurring debt service), recouping state aid over time, and applying district capital reserves to cover the local share so the proposal could be structured to avoid a tax increase for taxpayers.

Board members described ongoing rental and repair costs and said replacement would reduce recurring rental expenses for supplemental lighting equipment. Trustees asked for a more detailed presentation — including a breakdown of costs per auditorium, whether the $8.5 million is worst-case or midpoint, how long reserves would be reduced, and contingency planning if costs increase. The board agreed to invite Young & Wright to present a full review and the district’s financial adviser to discuss funding scenarios at a Feb. 11 meeting. Administration said safety-critical conditions would be shut down immediately if any condition were judged unsafe.