While voters in the Woodmore district focus on a bond issue that would leverage state funding for a new elementary school building, members of booster groups and Communities Achieving Goals for Extracurricular met recently with Craig Stough, an architect retained by the school board, to discuss plans for a new auditorium at the high school.

The proposed auditorium would be constructed if voters next month approve a 6.95-mill bond issue for the elementary school.

The auditorium would be built on land where the Hetrick wing of the high school sits. The wing houses classroom space for grades seven and eight, which would be included in the new elementary building.

According to information provided by the district administration, preliminary plans for the auditorium/performing arts center include seating for approximately 500 but that number is flexible as the school board and administration receive more input from district residents.

Superintendent John Fernbaugh said the size of a stage and whether or not there would be an orchestra pit will be determined after music boosters and other interested groups offer their opinions.

The organizations will also be asked for their input on sound and lighting systems and dressing rooms, he said.

A rendering of the proposed auditorium layout has been posted on the district’s website.

The board and administration will host a public forum Nov. 1 at the high school.

An update on the building plan and the district’s financial status will be discussed as well as its academic plan.

The forum will start at 7 p.m.

Voters will decide the fate of the bond issue Nov. 8. If passed, it will generate approximately $19.5 million and have a repayment schedule of 37 years

Construction would include a building near the present elementary building site that would house pre-kindergarten classes through the eighth grade as well as the performing arts center and a home economics classroom at the high school.

Voters will also see a 0.5-mill levy on the ballot for maintaining the building. The maintenance levy is required by the Ohio School Facilities Commission, which would provide slightly more than $7 million – equal to 32 percent – of the project’s cost.

District officials are projecting the total cost of the project to be approximately $26.5 million.

The performing arts center, home economics classroom, and additional space at the proposed elementary school are not covered by OSFC funding. Their costs will total about $4.6 million and are included in the district’s share, Fernbaugh said.

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