The Live Oak High School renovation project is nearing completion.
The $1 million facade was finished in June and the $5.3 million amphitheater should be completed in September, according to Deputy Superintendent Bonnie Tognazzini.
Tognazzini said issues with the elevation and contractor pushed back the initial February completion date. Also, the front lobby's scope of work was broadened to include middle portions like the bathroom and principal's office, which took additional time, she said.
Some seats in the old theater were broken and the furnishings were worn. The new amphitheater will fill out a cement slab outside the Little Theater creating an indoor and outdoor theater complex.
The contractor, Sanchez Inc., was served a notice of intent to cancel the contract in mid-September and was given 10 days to pick up the pace, according to a staff report. Sanchez Inc. President Nancy Sanchez said at the time that it was a misunderstanding.
The board of education began setting aside money to pay for the renovations through a bond in 2006. The district has since refinanced the bond as other renovations at the high school have been completed.
Summer school students Michaela Davis and Josiah Pete said they liked the new facade and couldn't wait for the project to be done.
"It looks nice. It looks like a Mexican restaurant," Davis joked about the mission-style frontage. Davis will be a junior at Ann Sobrato High School and is taking summer school classes at Live Oak.
"I definitely like the brick," Pete added.
The two said they were also relieved that construction fencing has been taken down, for the most part.
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