Replacing auditorium seats a needed move
Warren County Middle School’s auditorium, once a source of pride, is now falling apart.
The lighting is poor and the sound system is makeshift. But it’s undoubtedly the seats, some held together with duct tape, which need the most attention.
Anyone who has sat through a performance at the middle school knows the seats rank just behind a bed of nails in providing comfort. They creak, they sag, and many of them no longer have back supports.
The problem will not get better by itself. Middle school principal Donna Trevathan estimates the school loses 10 to 20 seats each year because they cease to remain in working condition. And that’s probably to be expected from an auditorium, built in 1957, that’s approaching 50 years old.
As it stands, there are only around 700 usable chairs for a school with 860 students. That means when the school gathers for an assembly, the sixth-graders are forced to sit on the floor.
It’s obvious what needs to be done – the auditorium needs a complete overhaul. There are only so long auditorium seats can be expected to last and these seats have exceeded that time frame.
It’s also obvious why nothing has been done during the decade or so this has been an issue – money. With an estimated cost of no less than $75 a seat, it doesn’t take much more than a calculator to see how the price for renovation will approach $100,000.
That price will be buffered somewhat by the middle school’s PTO, which has already pledged $10,000 toward the project. And while it will be an expensive undertaking, the Standard believes it’s time for the school board, and the Warren County Commission, to support renovations for the auditorium.
Steps have already been taken to begin the process and Avery Trace Middle School in Cookeville is being used as an example. Much like our situation here, where the middle school is the former high school, that’s also the case for Avery Trace.
Conditions at Avery Trace were reportedly so bad, the auditorium had to be condemned and a complete overhaul was ordered. This no doubt took a substantial financial commitment, but school officials found a way to get the job done and they now have a state-of-the-art auditorium that’s nothing less than a showpiece.
There’s no doubt money is tight here, just as it’s tight in Cookeville. But we’re hopeful early momentum can be continued and the middle school auditorium greatly improved as a result.
In addition to being used for school programs, the auditorium is also available for use for any county-wide group which makes a request. It’s commonly used by Paula’s Dance Academy for performances and other organizations have also taken advantage of the facility.
During school in-service programs, the middle school auditorium is the only facility capable of holding every school system employee at the same time. Thus, county-wide in-service has been held there the last few years.
And what’s the impression that’s given when teachers, students, parents, and other folks visit the middle school auditorium? The impression is that this is a crumbling, run-down facility.
The Standard is pleased to see there’s a sudden burst of energy devoted to fixing this long-standing problem. We realize the financial commitment but hope that won’t prevent an overdue and much-needed project from taking shape.