District previews $8.5 million auditorium project and financing options; board to hear detailed presentation Feb. 11

A building-condition survey of the district’s four auditoriums identified critical mechanical and performance-system needs — rigging, house lighting and sound — and produced an estimated total project cost of about $8,500,000, district staff told the board.

The district said the estimated cost breaks down to roughly $2,000,000 per auditorium (high-school auditoriums typically cost more than middle-school auditoriums). The district has discussed using capital reserves and debt financing in a manner designed to leverage state building aid (administration said the estimate for state reimbursement would be approximately 76 percent), leaving the local share to be covered from reserves so the district could present the project to voters with no local tax impact. Administration described that approach as borrowing the full project amount, repaying debt with state building aid and using reserves to cover the local share.

Board members emphasized the work is largely safety- and operations-driven: lights are failing, replacement parts are scarce for legacy equipment, rental expenses for supplemental lighting are rising, and rigging systems and controls are decades old. Directors asked administration to provide a long-term reserves plan showing how much reserves would be used and what would remain to handle other capital needs or emergency repairs.

Several board members said a public presentation is critical to explain the need and the state reimbursement mechanics. Administration invited Young & Wright to present detailed survey findings and a financing plan at the board meeting on Feb. 11. No formal decision was made; the board requested cost breakdowns, worst-case cost scenarios, and long-term reserve projections to be included in the Feb. 11 presentation.