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Architects unveil plans for Lake Ridge field house and auditorium renovation; bids expected this week
Summary
Ratio architects presented renderings and a scope for gym and auditorium renovations, including new bleachers, updated court design, accessibility improvements, acoustical treatments, and bid alternates; bids are expected Thursday with construction to start as sites become available.
Ratio's design team presented plans Oct. 14 for a renovation of Lake Ridge's field house and auditorium, describing a combination of code upgrades, accessibility improvements and aesthetic changes intended to modernize both facilities.
"I'm Zach Rieske. I'm an architect and project manager at Ratio in Indianapolis," said Rieske, who led the presentation and showed renderings of the proposed updates. The gym scope includes new bleachers, a hanging scoreboard, storefront entries at both ends of the gym, batting cages, storage cages, and a refreshed court design that incorporates school colors and the Warriors logo. Ratio identified bid-alternate work for the racquetball rooms (to convert them to fitness rooms) and noted provisions for wrestling-mat hoists and accessible circulation.
For the auditorium, Rieske said the design team worked with theater consultant Schuler Shook to reconfigure seating for full 360-degree circulation, add aisles on both sides to remove dead-end rows, install new seats and a simplified, higher ceiling plane, and provide an ADA ramp allowing direct stage access from the corridor. The design also includes short-throw projection, confidence monitors, a new audio/lighting control booth and acoustical wall panels for improved sound.
"We're expecting bids Thursday," Rieske said; Ratio and Core Construction described a typical contracting timeline that would allow the auditorium work to start as soon as contracts are in place and the field house work to begin after the last winter game, targeting readiness for the 2025-26 basketball season.
Board members praised the design and discussed student involvement in documenting before-and-after conditions; the district said it will plan photography and may involve student groups such as the yearbook club.
What happens next: bids will be opened, contracts negotiated, and the district and contractor will finalize phasing to protect ongoing activities while construction proceeds.
