Board tours renovated auditorium
$4.1M project includes new sound system, seats
Trending
TYRONE -- School board members got a sneak peek at the near-complete Tyrone Area High School auditorium during a walk-through of the project.
"My immediate response to the space was how much brighter the entire room was," school board member Kris Laird said last week. "The light wood accents on the walls and the new LED lights made the entire space pop and the seat colors and wall accent colors look amazing."
When Laird was a student, she attended assemblies and performed on stage in music concerts and theater productions. Later, she served as the band director in Tyrone for seven years and spent "countless hours" in the auditorium.
Opening in 1962, the auditorium had a lot of wear and tear that needed to be fixed. Superintendent Leslie Estep said the space had a few cosmetic changes in the past. However, the sound system, HVAC and seats started to "fall apart."
"A lot of stuff was obsolete, or some of it was in disrepair, like our sound system was ... one bad thing away from not being functional anymore. The seats were starting to break, and the heavier-use seats up (in) the front were starting to break. ... They don't even make that seat anymore," said Jordan Good, the building and grounds administrator.
"Seats, floor, walls, ceilings ... cosmetically, everything is brand new," Good said.
Project leaders corresponded with a consultant in New York, who put the space's dimensions into software and emulated sound projection from the stage. Hence, the new space has ceiling clouds and wall treatments, which were designed to reflect and amplify acoustics.
"The acoustics in the space will be a huge improvement from what was there," Good said. "It will be, for lack of better words, a much better space for acoustics than it ever has been."
The auditorium will also include a long throw projector and a new video system; both electronics will make events operation easier.
Prior to the renovation, community groups like the local dance theater also used the space. Estep said she could see more groups using the space once it's completed.
The renovation started in early June 2022 and is expecting "almost final completion" this August. The final budget is roughly $4.1 million.
"It provides a better environment for our school to use," Estep said.
"The new performance space will service the students, musical groups, community and guests and performers for decades to come -- and that is something we can be very proud of," Laird said.