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Perkiomen Valley pauses auditorium upgrade after vendor revises estimate to roughly $2.01 million
Summary
District staff paused phases 2 and 3 of a previously proposed $1.3 million auditorium upgrade after a vendor's revised combined proposal increased the estimated total to about $2.01 million; phase 1 is complete pending a rigging inspection.
Karthik Ganesh, facilities staff member, told the committee that phase 1 of a multi‑phase auditorium upgrade is complete aside from a pending rigging inspection, but phases 2 and 3 are paused while the district reassesses costs after receiving a significantly higher vendor proposal.
Ganesh said the district initially proposed a three-phase plan in May 2024 with an estimated total of about $1,300,000 for sound, lighting and safety systems in both auditoriums. The board approved phase 1 in August at roughly $627,000 and later approved a not-to-exceed amount of $672,000 for phases 2 and 3. The vendor’s latest combined proposal for phases 2 and 3 came in substantially higher; Ganesh said, "If we were to move forward with the proposal as of today ... the cost to do the entire project is $2,010,000 compared to the 1.3 it was previously presented to the committee."
Committee members and staff described three reasons the vendor gave for the increase: additional items added to the scope, higher parts prices in 2025, and potential tariffs affecting product costs. Staff also said some items that were not included in earlier proposals — including replacement curtains and additional fixtures discovered during vendor walkthroughs — contributed to the higher total. The district said it has a detailed comparison between the September and February proposals and will return with a recommendation about which items to pursue under the board‑approved not-to-exceed amounts.
Board members and staff discussed options that include: (1) asking the vendor what can be completed within the previously approved not-to-exceed $672,000 and returning to the board for the remainder; or (2) recommending the board approve additional funds to complete the more comprehensive scope. No final funding decision was recorded at the committee meeting.
The committee was told the district aims to finish phases 2 and 3 before the next performance season but paused to identify funding and scope options. Ganesh said a further update and recommendation should be ready by the next committee meeting.
