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District presents auditorium overhaul concepts, board asks for planning estimate
Summary
District staff presented a multi-part concept to fix ADA access, catwalk safety, acoustics, lighting and stage configuration in the high school auditorium, with preliminary cost estimates ranging from roughly $250,000 (lobby) to $2.2 million (acoustical redo); administration recommended formal conceptual design work next.
Dr. Geocaris, introduced by the chair to present facilities work, laid out four main problem areas for the auditorium: ADA access, catwalk safety, sound and lighting deficiencies, and an inflexible stage build-out. "For the ADA compliance, the slope of the floor is too steep. So there's not ADA accessibility entrances to the stage," Dr. Geocaris said, summarizing the impetus for redesign.
The presentation included before-and-after schematics and a line-item estimate of conceptual costs: an acoustical redo ~ $2,200,000; floor-rake and ADA stage access work ~ $1,700,000 (which would reduce overall seating capacity); lighting replacement to industry-standard programmable LED fixtures ~ $900,000; safety updates to catwalks and related infrastructure ~ $350,000; lobby acoustic treatments ~$250,000; and added vestibules/sound vestibules ~$250,000. Dr. Geocaris told the board that moving to a formal conceptual design would require additional consultant fees estimated in the neighborhood of $50,000–$80,000 to produce firmer cost and phasing options.
Board members pushed on legal and budgetary implications. A trustee asked whether the auditorium is currently ADA-compliant; Dr. Geocaris said the building is "grandfathered" now but that any material change would trigger current ADA requirements. Trustees emphasized prioritization given other large capital needs (locker rooms, pool) and requested a consolidated, prioritized capital list and possible funding scenarios. One board member asked that student voice be included in future stakeholder feedback plans.
Next steps: administration recommended proceeding to a formal conceptual-design phase if the board wants more precise cost estimates and phasing options; the design phase would confirm scopes, refine costs and offer a timeline for either a one-shot or multi-year implementation. No final funding decision or construction vote was taken at this meeting.
