Hart District To Start Construction On Canyon High Performing Arts Center

Posted by: Perry Smith in William S. Hart Union School District September 9, 2014 - 3:08 pm 0 220 Views

Hart district officials celebrated the groundbreaking Thursday for a 450-seat performing arts center at Canyon High School.

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Construction was initially scheduled to begin in January 2013, according to a timeline released by the William S. Hart Union High School District.

Officials with the William S. Hart Union High School District said delays for the more than $16 million center were the result of a combination of factors.

The delays had to do with several things, including issues with the bidding process and subsequent discussions, extra measures that need to be taken with regard to where the building is located on campus and the process to get a project of this magnitude approved by DSA and making sure that our students and staff will be safe on campus during this project, according to Hart district spokeswoman Gail Pinsker.

The delays have also resulted in higher costs.

“The original projected Measure SA allocation was $15 million,” Pinsker said. “The projected cost is $17.66 million.” Of that amount, $1 million is considered a “contingency cost,” officials said.

The original timeline for the project called for the 18,000 square foot theater to be built by September of this year.

Hart district officials created a new timeline for the project, according to Hart district spokeswoman Gail Pinsker.

Construction now plans to be completed by December 2015, with the move-in date expected sometime in early 2016, according to district officials.

The Hart district presented an updated list of facilities and campus requests associated with the $300 million Measure SA bond in August.

Along with the auditorium, a multi-campus painting project and repairs for the exterior of a portable classroom building, due to “rotting wood siding and skirting” are among a more-than 20-item list.

The Hart district oversees public schools for nearly 23,000 Santa Clarita Valley junior high and high school students.

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