PHOTOS: Mehlville School District Breaks Ground For New Auditorium

The Mehlville School District held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its first auditorium Wednesday. 

Students from Mehlville High School's theater, choir, orchestra and band departments joined school officials at the groundbreaking, representing the students who will perform in the auditorium once it's built.

Like Patch on Facebook for Mehlville schools news and updates.

The new auditorium "will open up a lot of opprotunity for performances," said Brendan Heinkel, 17, a Mehlville senior.

Heinkel has played the violin for 11 years and said he's jealous of younger students who will play concerts on a stage instead of in the high school gym.

"It's really cool to see how it's going to change the program," said Brendan, who also serves as the school's student council president.

Parents thanked the Mehlville School Board for helping bring the auditorium to the high school at Wednesday night's meeting.

"I want you to know on behalf of my family and many other families we are thankful that our community is finally receiving this new auditorium," said Joyce Strather, the mother of a senior involved in choir and drama.

On October 17, the board approved a contract with Wright Construction Services for a base bid of $5,134,000 to build the 20,300 square foot auditorium. With a seating capacity of 522, the auditorium will support a wide range of academic, musical, theatrical and civic events. The auditorium is expected to open in the Fall of 2013.

The state-of-the-art auditorium design includes a stage that is 40 feet deep and 44 feet wide so it can easily accommodate large choral and instrumental performances by students of all ages. There are also two locations for a programmable lighting console, video recording equipment, digital audio recording capabilities, a high output projector and a motorized on-stage projection screen.

The building will have an 1,800 square foot lobby, as well as student dressing rooms, a costume storage room and a 1,400 square foot shop used for the construction of scenery that supports theatrical and musical performances.

The project is being funded by refunds from the Certificates of Participation (COPs) that the district issued during Proposition P, the building improvement bond issue passed in 2000.