While the BHS auditorium was not included in the plans for the recently-completed $35.6 million building renovation, it is currently closed due to complications from the construction.

Asst. Superintendent Robert Hardis anticipates the project will be finished by Aug., 2015.

The district does not currently have an occupancy permit for the auditorium, which has not been open since the 2012-2013 school year.

In its place, the district utilized the community room during the 2013-2014 school year to host drama productions, meetings and other smaller events, while moving larger-scale occasions to the south gym.

“I think we’ve done okay, but it’s not the ideal, and we don’t want that to continue indefinitely,” Hardis said.

The Auditorium’s Current State

During the recent BHS renovation, contractors removed a portion of the ceiling in order to install a building code-mandated fire suppression system. The work exposed wiring and HVAC ductwork, making the room inaccessible.

Hardis explained that the wiring and ductwork now rests about eight feet from the ground, and a portion of the ceiling is torn up.

Improvements for the auditorium were not in the plans for the renovation completed in Sept. 2013, as district officials felt it was not an immediate need.

“We put it on … the back burner, thinking it would be one of the next projects that the district would undertake two [or] three years after the renovation,” Hardis said.

The requirement to add a fire sprinkler system and the resulting exposure of the auditorium’s infrastructure, Hardis said, “fast-tracked” the project.

“In order to get the coverage with water that is necessary in a space that cavernous, it turned out that the installation demanded a huge amount of scaffolding and they could not get high enough up into that [pitched] roof without having to tear out [certain elements of the ceiling],” he said.

Following the installation of the sprinkler system, the district received estimates from $80,000 to $100,000 as to how much it would cost to replace the removed ceiling and lighting, Hardis said.

“The question truly became one of cost-effectiveness,” he said. “Why would we plunk down $80,000 to $100,000 toward … something that would probably get torn out within a couple years?”

“With all that [exposed] wiring and the ductwork and the lack of lighting–because it was all torn out–we would not be allowed to host events in [the auditorium].”

“Not Some Pie-In-The-Sky Dream”

“There’s going to be a massive renovation,” Hardis said.

Hardis believes the renovation will cost approximately $3 million, but said he would be able to provide a more accurate figure after an architect is selected.

“All the aesthetics will be really top-notch. We want it to match the rest of the high school.”

“Beyond that, we want it to have a lot of functionality for the many different types of events that would be in it: musical performances, dramatic performances, school assemblies and any number of other things,” he said.

Hardis added that a goal for the project is to ensure that those watching performances have optimal views from anywhere in the audience’s seating area.
“Our challenge to our architects will be ‘Design the orientation of the stage [and] the orientation of the seating so that there are no bad seats in the house.’”

Hardis explained this may be a challenge to potential architects for the project, as the concrete-tiered seating of the auditorium is essentially permanent, due to several classrooms and other finished spaces being located directly below.

“We’ve tucked a lot of things up and under the tiered seating during the renovation… For the most part, the seating orientation will remain the same,” Hardis said, adding that he believes the district will purchase new seats.

“Generally speaking, the footprint and the orientation will be the same, but we’re going to try to solve any of the weaknesses of the current auditorium.”

Hardis added that district officials also want a more robust audiovisual system.

“The acoustics of the auditorium will be designed specifically to optimize a musical performance,” he explained.

Hardis also said district officials want to add two smaller screens in the forefront of the stage, allowing for multiple camera angles.

“It’s not some pie-in-the-sky dream,” Hardis said of the project. “This is exactly what we’re going to put in.”

With these improvements in mind, Hardis said the “back of house,” including dressing rooms, storage rooms and pathways to the music wing will not be neglected in the renovation design.

Taking Input from the Public

Henry Grasso, a junior who participates in the tech crew and band, said the current auditorium, pre-sprinkler system addition, was fine, however, he is not opposed to a renovation.

“You would have thought they [would have] renovated it during the big renovation of everything else,” Grasso said. Though, he said he welcomes the improved sound aspects and new technology the renovated auditorium is expected to boast.

Hardis said there will continue to be opportunities for community input on the project in the near future, adding that approximately six to eight months ago, “everyone we saw as … a critical stakeholder,” such as BHS staff and members of the city’s recreation department, was surveyed regarding the project.

“I imagine that when we hire an architect to start the designs, [we will consult with] stakeholder groups to [hear them offer their input],” Hardis said.

What’s Next

Hardis anticipates the project will be completed during the next twelve months.

Hardis said students and staff will be impacted “only in the most minor of ways,” such as areas of the parking lot being sectioned off for construction workers. Though, not to the scale that was seen during the school-wide renovation.

“Other than the rooms that are most immediately adjacent to it, … I think there will be minimal impact,” he said, adding that contractors would have to be “careful” with loud noise during the school day.

Safety, Hardis said, will also be a concern. “We’re going to have to rely on students [and staff] to be smart, just like they were in the past.”

“When it becomes a construction site, you shouldn’t be in there,” Hardis said.

Hardis stressed that the auditorium, while not included in the recent renovation process, was never intended to be neglected — only the timeline was changed.

“Roughly a year from now, … I think you’re going to have an auditorium that everyone’s going to be really impressed with,” Hardis said.