Majority of Board Members Support $4.7mm Renovation of the High School Auditorium

At the December 5 meeting of the Board of Education the discussion continued about a proposed $4.7 million renovation of the 800 seat SHS auditorium, that has been in disrepair for years. Though a million dollars was provided for upgrades in the 2014 bond, cost overruns on other projects prevented much of the work from being done. Among the issues are the acoustics, the wood paneling, the carpeting, the seating, the stage flooring, the lighting, the dressing rooms and water intrusion. The issues are outlined in a report here.

The Interim Superintendent Drew Patrick and board members followed up on a more detailed discussion on the matter at the November 14, 2022 meeting and looked for a plan to move forward.

First Patrick corrected a statement that was made at the prior meeting. It turns out that the auditorium was built to be a performance space – not a multi-purpose “gymnatorium” as previously stated.

Second, in response to a question of whether or not the acoustics of the existing space could be sufficiently improved, Patrick proposed that the district spend $4,600 for an acoustical analysis. For that fee, the acoustical consultants can provide an analysis of the acoustics of the current space vs. the space outfitted with proposed acoustic enhancements. Later at the meeting, the board agreed to do this analysis.

Board members, who had toured the facility, were then asked to provide their thoughts on whether or not the district should move forward with the long overdue renovation.

Board President Amber Yusuf said that she noted that the entire floor of the stage looked worn and asked why the front portion of the stage would not be replaced with the rest --– and asked what the additional cost would be to replace the entire stage floor.

Board member and architect Bob Klein said he looked at the 2017 master plan. He said about the auditorium, “There was no discussion in a shift of its location. Turning to the current proposal, he said, “We are talking about a big price tag. We can value engineer it. We are going to have a new superintendent shortly. This may be a good time for the architects to revisit this question by looking at the whole building and seeing if there is any shifting to see if we can come up with a better solution. There was no “big idea.” Mamaroneck has a performing arts program. An idea of that caliber would have an impact on this decision. This might be a time to layer on a version B of the master plan that incorporates some big ideas that may be an outgrowth of the new leadership.”

Ron Schulhof asked if Bob was talking about a master plan for the high school or just the auditorium space? Ron said, “I think the auditorium is a discreet space. I am not aware of anywhere to move an 800 person auditorium.”

Bob replied, “I don’t know that this is the only place for an auditorium. If there are any big ideas we want to think through, I don’t want to jump ahead and do the auditorium. There could be some organizational ideas that might suggest building a new auditorium. This is the moment in time to consider it. … I am an architect. Trust me. There are lots of way of doing these things.”

Jim Dugan objected, He said, “I am troubled by your suggestion on a number of levels. I am troubled by your notion that it is appropriate for the Board to grab the district by the collar and demand a reallocation of resources, both its intellectual and pedagogical resources, in a far reaching and expensive project. Is this what the Board should be doing? Allocating its financial resources and intellectual capital and energies? This is more of a top down situation where no one is saying there needs to be this drastic solution. You are within your right to voice your opinion about what should be done.”

Klein replied, “I take my fiscal responsibility seriously to solve the problem the best way possible. Scarsdale is known for innovation. I think it is important to engage our leadership. I am raising it as a perspective. I am not trying to yank anyone’s collar. I don’t see the harm in doing the due diligence.”

Suzie Hahn said, “Though I appreciate the call to think big, I am concerned there may be too many other competing capital projects. Many were reviewed by Drew and Stuart. In touring the schools we saw the challenges of space for storage, lunch services and providing collaborative spaces to support student learning. I think the auditorium is a long overdue priority but it isn’t the only one.”

Jessica Resnick-Ault said, “I appreciate that we should think big – but also that we have a capable auditorium study committee that has considered this for this past year. I feel like we have an imperative to repair the auditorium. Right now the space is not meeting student needs. There is a need for structural improvement. I don’t know that it makes sense to delay this for another year or two. It needs to be updated promptly.”

Colleen Brown agreed. She said, “I toured the auditorium and was surprised and how much the renovation is needed. I think this is the best return on our investment. The fee is not as high as other auditorium renovations. It is a need for students and the community. Our theater is anything but innovative now. This is a good use for the money. I believe this project should move forward.”

Ron Schulhof concurred. He said, “I saw the repairs that need to happen to this space. It has not seen major repairs. The work was deferred. It is not a question of should we, but when are we doing this. This is a space that is used a lot. I think it makes sense to do this and we should do it right. I support us doing the work and putting this in the budget.

Patrick added, “We can find out if there is any viable space on this campus to add space. The architects can tell us that.”

Amber Yusuf said, “Considering the practicalities of the way the theater looks now and the work of the team studying this problem and the other district needs, I think this is the way forward for us now. It is overdue. I can’t imagine any space where we could relocate the auditorium. I can’t envision that. I think most Board members are in agreement with this.”

Klein said, “I think the architects need to show us that the renovation will solve the problems. Will we see noticeable improvements in the acoustics? Will the changing rooms be adequate?”

When asked about the project timeline, Assistant Superintendent Stuart Mattey said there were multiple ways to fund this and that would affect the project timeline. The funding decisions will be a part of the discussions for the 2023-24 school budget.

Watch the discussion here.