by Theodore Wiesehan

    While some public concerns with proposals for an auditorium addition to Centennial School were smoothed over, plenty remained at the Feb. 27 public meeting regarding the proposed school expansion.
     Architect Jim Berg of Bahr Vermeer & Haecker Architects, Ltd., Lincoln, presented revised proposals for an auditorium addition to Centennial school. Based on concerns raised during the Feb. 27 public meeting, Berg made alterations to each of the three plans under consideration.
     "The board of education is sincerely interested in this being community-driven and having this be your process," Berg told the public.
     All plans include additional parking spaces in front of the school and expanding the commons area by removing the current superintendent's office. A new concession stand and storage area would occupy a small amount of the space freed up by the office's removal.
     In order to increase building security, each plan also moves an administrative office to one of the entrances. After the school day begins, all other entrances would be locked and everyone leaving or entering the building would be funneled through the entrance with an administrative presence.
     While changes to the plans alleviated some public concerns, plenty of others were raised against each of the revisions at the meeting.
    Option A
     Option A features a fine arts addition to the west of the school's north end, with the lobby for the auditorium beginning where the ag and shop rooms end.
     To enhance security, an administrative office would move to the main entrance of the high school at the northeast side of the building, an area currently occupied by a math room and social studies room. Two new classrooms would be included in the addition to accommodate the classes displaced by the administrative move.
     Supporters of the northwest option pointed out that the addition to the rear of the school would not alter the school's appearance from the front. Others added that such a location might have fewer problems with drainage and cause less disruption during construction.
     Accessibility was the chief concern raised against Option A. Several at the meeting said the location would be too far from parking facilities - doubt to visitors. Also, the auditorium expansion would offer protection from the weather, shielding the main entrance from winds from the north and west.
     Others raised concerns about the loss of natural lighting, as the addition would block exterior windows to six classrooms, including the art room.
     A few also worried that a northeast expansion might create drainage issues at the front of the building.
     While some felt the addition would negatively impact the appearance of the front of the school by taking away from the original design, others argued that such an addition would improve the appearance, as the main entrance would be the newest and most modern area of the building.
    Option D
     The final proposal, Option D (Option C was nixed at a Feb. 20 meeting), features a fine arts center addition off the south of the southeast end of the school, abutting the kitchen. A triangular administrative office would be added off the current building's southeast corner, moving the main entrance to the southeast doors.
     Supporters of the last option said it would put the auditorium close to parking and make the building longer.
     Others said it would veil the "eye sore" of the service entrance and keep service vehicles out of the way of buses, as the addition would split the service drive and parking lot.
     The chief concerns brought up against Option D were service access and the distance from the high school to the new main entrance and auditorium.
     Because the addition would block the current service bay, all deliveries to the kitchen would be channelled through the new lobby, as would all garbage on its way to the dumpsters.
     Others were concerned by the distance of the addition from the high school. The auditorium could be used for testing during school hours, as every third seat would be fitted with a raisable writing surface. Several doubted that high school teachers would utilize the facility, however, if it meant walking their classes to the opposite end of the school and back.
     Some parents also objected to making the southeast doors the primary entrance, saying it would be too far from where most visitors needed to go.
    Other changes
     Berg used a 500-seat auditorium in his plans, a tentative number based on the sizes of comparable facilities at other schools in the Southern Nebraska Conference. The current population of the school, however, is 527 students.
     "It wouldn't be hard to stretch (seating) to 550 with some folding chairs," Berg said.
     Several from the public said the facility should be large enough to accommodate growth, and at least large enough to seat the current student body.
     The public directed Berg to revise the plans to include a 550-seat auditorium.
    Cost
     Option D comes with the lowest cost, at an estimated $4,329,698. Option A was estimated at $4,439,478, while Option B rang in at $4,501,218.
     For a 15-year bond on $4.5 million, the levy would be eight cents (or $80 per $100,000 of assessed value). A 20-year bond issue would bring a levy of about 7 cents.
     Berg estimated that adding 50 seats to the auditorium would increase the total cost by about $150,000.
    What's next
     Another meeting was planned for March 6 to narrow down the options and give a recommended option to the school board. Berg stressed his desire that the decision of one option not pit supporters of one option against those of another.
     "We will never put you in camps," he said. "This is a consensus decision."