District advances feasibility study for new Los Alamitos High School performing arts center; funding gap remains

Los Alamitos Unified School District leaders on the evening discussed a feasibility study for a proposed replacement performing arts center at Los Alamitos High School and directed staff to continue refining designs and funding options.

The design team, Westgroup, presented a plan to build a new auditorium north of the existing PAC so the current theater could remain open during construction. Ken, a Westgroup representative, said the team reduced seating roughly 15% (from about 590 to ~500) to improve sightlines and make the house more efficient, while increasing stage and technical support space: “The proposed stage is 40% larger than the existing stage,” he said, describing larger wings, a scene shop and improved back‑of‑house circulation.

Superintendent Dr. Pulver called the design “meaningful” for students and the campus and summarized Westgroup’s preliminary cost estimates: a hard construction estimate of about $19.2 million and a total phase‑one project estimate, with escalation and soft costs, of roughly $27.8 million. She added soft‑cost and demolition scenarios that could push an overall program number—including demolition and contingency—into the low‑to‑mid $30‑million range.

Why it matters: district staff said the project would modernize facilities used by arts, music, drama and technical‑theater CTE students, eliminate aging infrastructure and create an open quad when the existing PAC is removed. That long‑term campus benefit factored into the board’s interest in continuing the study.

Funding and next steps: Dr. Pulver outlined multiple possible funding sources and constraints. District funds currently earmarked for PAC work totaled about $14–15 million. Westgroup and staff believe the district may qualify for state seismic mitigation grants (staff cited a draft eligibility estimate of roughly $5.3 million), and the district has existing and potential CTE grants (the superintendent noted an earlier $1.5 million award tied to modernization that could be revised for new construction, and a possible $3 million award if the project is defined as new construction). Even after applying likely sources, staff estimated a remaining funding gap in the neighborhood of several million dollars and said the board would need to approve reallocation of other facilities dollars, pursue additional one‑time state allocations, target grants, or pursue private fundraising and naming rights to close the gap.

Trustees asked detailed questions about staging, temporary facilities, restroom circulation and whether recently renovated band/music rooms could be repurposed; Ken and Dr. Pulver said many elements could be adapted but acknowledged some existing spaces are integral to the demolition footprint and may need replacement. Westgroup emphasized design choices made to limit excavation because of soil conditions and to keep the project largely at grade to reduce geotechnical cost and risk.

What the board authorized: trustees agreed to continue design development and to pursue more definitive construction pricing with selected contractors (moving the feasibility work to the next design phase). No final construction contract was awarded at this meeting; staff said a guaranteed maximum price from a builder would be required before a construction commitment.

Quotes: “Students and the community don’t lose access to the performing arts facility during the construction period,” Ken of Westgroup said, summarizing the team’s ‘build‑next‑to’ strategy. Dr. Pulver said the project “represents a meaningful investment in the students, educators, and community who use and love performing arts at Los Alamos High School” but cautioned that closing the remaining funding gap will require grant success, reallocated facility dollars, or private contributions.

Next steps: staff will refine the design, work with potential builders to obtain firm cost proposals, and continue grant and funding applications. The board signaled support to proceed with those next steps but did not appropriate final construction funds at this meeting.