Lake Placid school board hesitates over auditorium project bids

From left, Joselyn Hernandez, Alida Carlson and Parker Scanio rehearse for the Lake Placid High School fall play on Nov. 12. (Enterprise photo — Grace McIntyre)
LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid Central School District board considered bids for a project to replace lights and rigging in the middle/high school auditorium at a meeting Tuesday. The board, hesitant about higher-than-expected costs, tabled the discussion to ask for more information.
This project has been in the works for about a year-and-a-half, said Dana Wood, LPCSD’s assistant superintendent for business, finance and support services. The lights and rigging were part of the original auditorium renovation in 2017, but never ended up happening.
The upgrades to the system would include switching to LED lights, replacing stage curtains and rigging and adding a large projector system.
A year ago, the estimated cost of the project was $1 million. This was based on estimates provided by Mosaic Associates Architects, the firm chosen by the district for this project. However, the cost is now estimated to be closer to $1.4 million, according to the project bid report.
“I have a huge problem with this cost, I absolutely do,” Board Vice President Ron Briggs said. “I’ve always said that anytime this board wants to spend money for the academic excellence of our children, I’m 100% behind it. I just see this as an awful lot of money.”
The bids for the project fall into three categories: general construction, electrical construction and theatrical systems. The district received one bid in each category. With the three bids combined, the project cost is estimated to be $1,312,900. Hiring the architecture firm adds a $74,000 cost, according to Wood.
For general construction, the bid was from Murnane Building Contractors based in Plattsburgh. The estimated price for this bid was $234,000. The electrical construction bid was from Colton-based S&L Electric, at $179,000. A $899,900 bid for theatrical systems makes up the bulk of the total cost, with a bid from Barber Marketing Inc.
Board members said it was not ideal to only have one bid for each part of the project. John Onderdonk, who attended Tuesday’s meeting remotely as a representative from Mosaic, said the three bids were competitive, but not out of line for the industry.
Ultimately, the board requested more information about the bids and project costs. They have until the end of February to accept or reject the bids, so Wood said the board would revisit the discussion at their Feb. 18 meeting. The project has already been approved by the board and by the state Education Department.
Funding for the project will come from the district’s repair reserve fund, which was created in 2022 after being approved by voters. The district is allowed to keep a maximum of $1 million in the fund, but it can be replenished by leftover money from the unassigned fund balance, or other surplus.
“The funds are there,” Wood said.
Brenden Gotham, an English and social studies teacher at the school who has been directing plays for the drama club for 19 years said the outdated equipment does cause some problems — the incandescent bulbs are “obsolete” and difficult to replace. The school has been regularly renting lights for their productions for the past few years.
However, he said the project is mostly about giving students the best experience they can, like providing updated sports facilities for athletes. Projectors, for instance, are becoming a more common part of setting the stage.
“That’s where the future of theater is going in terms of set pieces and design,” Gotham said, adding that both LED lights and projectors would save them money in the long run.
“One of the things I’m proud of is how many kids we have participating in musicals and theater, and so it’s the school investing and making a greater opportunity,” he said. “I’m really just thankful that the district is doing this for the kids.”
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CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article a quote was incorrectly attributed to board member Don Mellor. The comment was actually said by board Vice President Ron Briggs.