Great news! Thanks to Bond Funding, brand new seats have been installed in Fiester Auditorium. They match the beautiful look of the old seating, but they are much more comfortable – and all are functioning! What a wonderful improvement! The $300 donation ABC received from the MCHS Choir in 2014 will be saved for a future use related to Fiester Auditorium.

ABC has helped with many restorations to the historic Fiester Auditorium inside MCHS including replacing damaged ceiling tiles, upgrading the lighting, and adding directional microphones. The auditorium is looking much better these days, making it a more conducive space for student learning and a more pleasant space to see student and community performances.

One area in which the auditorium still needs work, though, is in seating. Many seats are broken and unusable. Not just the broken seats can be replaced, however, but rather a major restoration is needed to replace all of the seats and reinforce the flooring.

In 2014, ABC received a $300 donation from the MCHS Chorus it is holding in its account to put toward the renovation.

With the passage of the 2016 Measure L Bond, the Mariposa County Unified School District has begun the work of finalizing its Facility Master Plan (FMP).

According to Superintendent Robin Hopper, “this plan consists of short term and long term facility needs and plans for repair, modernization and improvements. In addition, the FMP will prioritize the projects that will be completed with the Measure L bond money that Mariposa County voters approved in the November 2016 election. We are currently prioritizing the projects with a committee.”

Superintendent Hopper continued, “The FMP includes more funding sources than the bond monies. We definitely welcome the opportunity to include fundraising as an additional resource to assist in completing important facility projects. In fact, by showing that the district has additional revenue, including booster club, student and community support through fundraising efforts, our FMP becomes stronger and more complete overall.”

As we hear more from Superintendent Hopper on where on the list the auditorium seating is, and ideally an approximate timeline for that project, ABC will assist the district with the cost of the new auditorium seating.