Sedona Red Rock Performing Arts Breaks Ground

The groundbreaking for anew performing arts center atSedona Red Rock High Schoolis a moment many have beenwaiting for.On Thursday. April l6, at 5p.m., Sedona Oak Creek SchoolDistrict will host a ground-breaking ceremony adjacent tothe current auditorium whereconstruction will begin for apremiere perfom1ing arts center.

lnvitations were sent to individuals and artists groups. SOCSDSuperintendent Mike Aylstocksaid, and Mayor Rob Adamsand chair of the perfom1ing arts committee, Dr. Rod Abbott, are invited to speak. Abbott worked for eight years on getting a performing arts center in Sedona, he saidin October alter a budget was approved for it.School board members will speak, along with the highschool principal, Dave Lykins,and rcprcscntatives from architect contractor McCarthy Building Companyand project manager ARCADIS. Images from the architect of projected plans will be on displayand live music will be providedby Steve Douglas and Artists in Rhythm as well as high school musicians.“This is a chance to share the excitement with the community."Aylstock said. Actual construction will begin in early May,after McCarthy comes up withta guaranteed maximum price for the project. On Oct. 9, the SOCSD board agreed to fund the $l0.5 million design of the center. although it had originally budgeted $7 million of bond money for the project. ln November 2007, district residents passed a $73 million bond for school construction and renovations.According to ARCADIS project manager, Dave Young,the district has $4.7 million left over in a line item in the bond for energy efficiency. The district can put $3.4 million of that toward the performing arts center without affecting other projects to reach the Sl0.5 million. In the paSI few years, the city of Sedona has been looking at how it can support operations of the center through funding. Interim City Manager AlisonZelms said. 'Although nothing is finalized,“over the past six months we’vebeen looking at supporting aposition that would work on all the scheduling and bookingat the performing arts center." Zelms said.ln return, community groups like Chamber Music Sedona and the Sedona International Film Festival will be able to scheduleevents at 'the center.“We anticipate it will beused as much, if not more, by the community as the schooldistrict," Aylstock said. “All thegroups in town," are invited to use it.

Along with the performing ars center, the existing building will receive an auxiliary gym and outside. Behind one end zone of the football field, a 1,500 seat concrete amphitheater will be built.The performing arts center will be complete in summer 20l0 and the classrooms and gym will becomplete by February 2010. Performing Arts Center Designs. The performing arts center will go from a 262-seat auditorium to a 750-seat, two-tiered, state-of-the-art performance venue. The stage will be enlargedby about one-third and the set construction area is being expanded. The area above the stage -the fly loft - will be increased from 30 feet to 65 feet, Young said. Plans call for new men’s and women’s dressing rooms, a makeup room and a green room with a shower. A practice room will be built the same size as the proscenium opening - the area between the curtain and the orchestra - so full-scale practices can takeplace while the stage is beingused.A number of single practicerooms are in the plans along with new storage rooms and acostume room.The lobby will also be used as gallery space to exhibit studentand professional artwork. Young said.The center will be silver LEED [Leadership in Energyand Environmental Design]certified. LEED certification means the building is energy efficiient, acoustically friendly, has good indoor air quality and low emissions, Young said."The benefits of building to LEED standards include lower consumption of energy andlower utility bills, incrcased performance of students and less impact to the environment," he said.