Montclair High School auditorium needs new seats, principal says - Montclair Local News

The Montclair High School auditorium needs a lot of upgrades, including new seats.

In his "School Status" speech to the MHS community this month, principal Anthony Grosso expressed his desire to see the auditorium equipped with new seats.

The current seats were originally used in the auditorium built in 1960 and the rest of the expanded school. This is the first expansion of the school since the original school building was constructed in 1914.

Grosso said that current seats lack a large amount of interior trim, and replacement parts for seats are no longer produced.

Grosso recalled that when he grew up in Clifton, the MHS Auditorium was a favorite place to watch performances and concerts in the community. He said that the auditorium provides an opportunity for outside dance companies, theater companies, speakers and presenters to attend school.

When talking about the available seats, Grosso said: "I have to share this with you, which brings me an organizational embarrassment."

In addition to serving as a venue for performances and concerts during the school year, the auditorium can also be used as an alternative place for graduation ceremonies under inclement weather conditions. If the ceremony is held outdoors, it can be used as an overflow seat. Amphitheater.

When the Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, who was an MHS graduate in 1965, played, including a plug-in concert at the school in 2015, board member Jessica de Koninck pointed out that the school must have a generator because the hall wiring was not up to standard. task. She said that in addition, there is no air conditioning in the auditorium, which is very uncomfortable in summer. She said that the seat will therefore be one of a long list of upgrades.

According to a list of priority projects proposed by the architect Parette Somjen in the area in 2018, the replacement of auditorium seats will cost approximately $631,000. However, there is no seat replacement in the school district’s capital construction project list for the 2020-2021 school year. The list of items for the coming year includes masonry repairs for each school.

The school has a sample seat model that can be used in the auditorium: a charcoal gray reclining seat with black armrests.

The rent for the auditorium ranges from $531 for events without spectators to $3,674 for events with spectators.

Grosso also hopes to purchase new table and chair arrangements in the next few years. He said that many of the existing furniture in the school can be traced back to the 1960s, and the condition is getting worse. In addition, the "single seat" format is not suitable for assignments that now involve group work and collaboration.