SWAMPSCOTT – After 20 years of being in use, the Swampscott High School Auditorium is getting a major upgrade.
According to the proposal put forth by the Select Board, the new auditorium will benefit the Swampscott public schools by having the ability to host district meetings, fine arts performances, and school assemblies, as well as being able to host town and committee meetings. The auditorium will also be suitable for performing arts, group event space, and recreation for Swampscott residents.
On Dec. 15, the Swampscott School Committee met to discuss the auditorium upgrade, and discussed the main issues with the current auditorium, consisting of three aspects: failing infrastructure, original design limitations, and no-easy-hybrid adaptation.
The original design limitations include too much echo and power design limiting the microphone selection. “Most stages would have three rows of lights. Ours only has two. And so, if we wanted to kind of give that extra dimension to stage performances, we would add a row of lights,” said Joe Douillette, a fine art teacher at Swampscott High School who is also leading the auditorium renovation project.
The lights are reaching the end of their lifespan and will fail within five years. Now, the lights are also incandescent and use more energy. Three lights are needed to make just one color and have become inefficient.
The lighting upgrade will change the lights to LED lights. It will be an energy-saving move and will provide more flexibility with color changing. The lighting upgrade cost will be budgeted for the fiscal year 2025 at $300,000. The National Grid offered a $35,000 incentive for energy efficiency, according to Douillette. The offer may change in FY25.
The audio components are breaking down and the curtains need repair and replacement. The cost of the audio upgrade will be budgeted for the fiscal year 2024 at $300,000.
No hybrid auditorium means that it takes four to eight hours to set up for a fully televised interactive meeting, and online audiences are unable to participate. The hybrid meeting space upgrade cost will be budgeted for the fiscal year 2023 or 2024 at $100,000. After the upgrade, it is estimated to take only one hour to set up a fully televised interactive meeting.
Swampscott School Committee Chair Glenn Paster said it is important that they provide the latest technology to students and get them ready for college with technology that is not 20 years old. The School Committee will fully support the renovation.
The plan still awaits the Capital Improvement Committee for approval. “I’m working with the town to try to get some grants working with the classes of 79 and 89 to get some donations, and then there’s about a $600,000 remaining cost that I’ve been working with the Capital Improvement Committee to try to get approved, ” said Douillette.
