On Tuesday evening as part of the Fall Concert, Benton Community celebrated the dedication and ribbon cutting for the Benton Community Auditorium and Fine Arts Wing Renovation Project. A special thank you to Shive-Hattery, Inc. and Woodruff Construction, LLC for their work in making these improvements a reality. I also want to recognize and thank the fine arts staff for their input and involvement in the design phase of this project.
The renovation work includes new seating, lighting, sound, rigging and curtains, acoustical panels, painting and carpeting finishes, new stage flooring, an orchestra pit cover, and a video production system in the auditorium. In addition, the vocal and band rooms were remodeled and additional storage space was created in the redesign. New gym bleachers were also included in the scope of this project.
The District is paying for these improvements through a sales tax revenue bond approved by the Board of Education in March 2012. The total bond sale amount was $5,820,000 and also included the renovation of renovation of Bobcat Stadium. This project does not increase property taxes for patrons of the Benton Community School District.
It has been an amazing process observing this project taking shape since the end of last school year. In the end we certainly believe that the District will be very proud of the improvements and that the facilities will provide outstanding educational and extra-curricular opportunities for Benton Community students now and in the future.
