An important vote to set the budget for a $1.3 million auditorium renovation project at Bellwood-Antis High/Middle School was delayed another month yesterday after school board officials learned a revised layout plan for lighting and sound was not yet complete.
Superintendent Rodney Kuhns told the school board last evening that Rick Witt of L.R. Kimbell & Associates Inc., the district’s architecture firm, had not submitted the layout plans and cost estimates that are critical for directors to vote on the project’s budget.
“I did not get the estimates back from (Witt),” said Kuhns. “I recommend that we take care of the budget for the project at the February meeting. I feel we can’t make a proper decision without that information.”
Originally, the directors entertained the idea of $554,242.50 worth of renovations in the 46-year-old facility, but last week, Witt provided the board with revised plans that pushed the total well over $1 million.
“As the project has grown in scale, it has also grown in complexity,” said Witt. “As we walked through the auditorium, we noted the additions and renovations that needed to be completed to make the area safer. This drove up costs.”
According to Kuhns, board members inspected the area and decided that simple renovation weren’t the only things needed to bring the auditorium to a safe standard. The information gathered was then submitted to Witt, who in turn, inspected the area again and proposed the revised cost estimate to the board. According to his estimates, the project now stands at $1,333,343.
“Now that number is a little high and we’re expecting that a good number of the items in the projected budget will come in under what’s outlined here,” said Kuhns.
According to Witt, changes to the preliminary plan included adding new doors at the rear of the facility, adding new technology to both the stage and auditorium areas, removal of asbestos from the stage area and new construction and layout plans for general lighting and sound.
Board members also said the auditorium is in need of a new rigging system. The current system was designed and built in the 1930s and is a fixture in the building. Officials hope a new, mobile rigging fixture would allow stage crews to change stage lighting and hang props without utilizing a ladder.
The project is being funded through monies secured from a $2 million bond that was floated earlier this year, said Kuhns. He noted the large expenditure does not affect tax payers because the bond was acquired at such a low-interest rate.
Nearly a quarter of that bond has already been spent on property purchases and another $119,000 of that funding is pending for other purposes – leaving a balance of about $1.39 million.
The board will next talk about the revised budget at the Feb. work session meeting and a vote to adopt is expected a week later.
“The budget, of course, will be tentative,” said Kuhns. “As I stated earlier, I hope that it’s finished under budget, but there are so many things we have to put a price on now to get the project going that may change when it comes time to begin.”
Kuhns said he had hoped the work could be completed in summer, but with the extra month’s delay, the work could be pushed back.
“It will not affect the music classes or band,” said Kuhns. “They’ll be able to utilize the gymnasium; however, it will affect any performances that normally occur there.”
The board talked briefly of the all-purpose practice field located between Myers’ Elementary School and the high/middle school. Last week, officials heard from B-A athletic director and varsity football coach John Hayes, who brought the condition of the field to the board’s attention.
Hayes said because the field is used for a variety of reasons, including high and middle school physical education classes, junior and senior high and pee-wee football practice, track and field practice and events, and band practice, and parking for visitors to Bellwood-Antis events, it is beginning to become a hazard for the kids that are on it.
He, and board officials, agreed all this traffic has caused the earth to pack significantly, caused a great number of large ruts to appear, and cause an infiltration of rock and stone gravel, thus providing unsafe conditions for those who used the field.
Last week, the topic was met with mixed reactions from board officials. Most believed that something should be done, but many noted the district’s lack of funds for such a project.
Kuhns said last evening that it might be in the best interest of the district to hire a consultant to look at the field and maybe complete a feasibility study to see exactly what the project would entail.
Kuhns said the landscape artist who completed the work for the stadium, Steve Parks, could be contacted to look at the options.
“I am 100 percent against hiring anyone for this,” said board member Scott Boyer. “”We need to resource the people we have here and not pay someone to do that.
“Would you want to hire someone to do your own lawn?” he asked.
Board member Dennis Minori suggested the use of a neighboring property (about a block away known as the Shriver property) for athletic use, but Boyer pointed out the lack of a telephone there should an emergency arise. Boyer also said being that far away from equipment reduces practice and physical education time because of the time it takes to move equipment and students.
Boyer said being a neighbor to “one of the biggest agricultural schools in the nation” in Penn State University, should open up cheaper options, rather than spending district money to hire a consultant and pay for a feasibility study. Consultant fees are normally around $75 per hour and a feasibility study could cost as much as $5,000.
“That’s money that could be put to other uses,” said Boyer.
Kuhns said board members should prepare a list of people who maybe able to help in fixing the problems at the green space and make those names available at next month’s work session.
