What's going on at the auditorium?

Thanks for the question!

The auditorium at Finley is perhaps the oldest building in the District, except for possibly the old School House that sits on the Pine School grounds. The auditorium has undergone numerous changes over the years and has presented some interesting challenges. When you view the building from Sixth Street you can see where it has been patched over the years. There used to be an extension of the building, possibly used for the sound or lighting booth over the front entrance to the building.

The major challenges with the building have to do with its age and the cost to upgrade the building to meet current codes. We recently were approved for a roofing grant from the Office of Public School Construction, and are awaiting the funds. Unfortunately, the state budget mess has put a hold on all construction dollars. Once that hold is lifted, the auditorium will get its new roof. This will allow us to concentrate on the other issues having to do with the building. Our architect and facilities consultants are working on a new grant to bring the electrical components of the building up to code. This is expected to cost in the neighborhood of $600K - $1Million. Nothing is inexpensive when you are talking about California public works projects.

Once the the roofing and electrical are upgraded, we can look at what needs to be done inside. Initial review of the building shows that the flooring must be either replaced or patched and resurfaced. In addition, the seating, which has a great nostalgic feel to it, is splintering and either needs to be replaced or we need to find a way to refinish the wooden portions of the seats. Unfortunately the company that built the seats is long out of business.

Another item that needs to be addressed is the ceiling, which has rotting ceiling tiles. This will be a little easier to fix once the roof has been replaced. I've been told that there is a decorative ceiling above the ceiling tiles and we will be looking at what type of ceiling would work during the upgrade.

Anyone who has been in the auditorium during one of our hot days knows that the air conditioning must be upgrade and reducted.

Overall, our architect has placed an initial estimate of $1M-$1.5 to bring the building up to current code. We will continue to pursue funding for this great old building. In the mean time, we GREATLY appreciate the commitment to the building that our parents have had. The Finley Parents have begun to paint the entire inside of the auditorium and are doing an outstanding job.

Over the next few years, we hope to bring this building back up to its former glory days.