Upgrades to come for high school’s Center for Performance

Newton school board members on April 24 unanimously approved the purchase of new spotlights for the high school’s Center for Performance, which is only the first phase of improvements to the stage, according to the district’s maintenance supervisor, Jack Suttek. Other additions will be introduced at later dates.

The $57,810 bid from Heartland Scenic Studio Inc., of Omaha, pays for the new spotlights, as well as the assembly and installation of the fixtures.

“This is something we’ve started well over a year ago,” Suttek said of the Center for Performance upgrades, adding that the lights that would be replaced are from when the stage was originally constructed. “…The package that we’ve put together is a condensed package of the actual lights that we need to replace.”

Tim Bloom, director of business services for the Newton Community School District, confirmed there will be other projects that will be considered for board approval in the near future, such as a new control system and sound system. Suttek said the current system is so old that parts cannot even be found on eBay.

The spotlights, he added, will be installed in summer 2024.

Bloom said the school district budgeted $250,000 for the Center for Performance upgrades. There will be no re-wiring needed for the new spotlights.