Madras Performing Arts Center set for debut

A $26.7 million bond measure passed in 2012 is finally coming to life. Workers are putting the finishing touches on a brand-new performing arts center at Madras High School.

“They tried to get an auditorium built in 1964, when the high school was built, and they didn’t.So this has been 50 years in the making,” Darryl Smith, operations director for the Jefferson County School District, said Thursday.

This new $11.3 million facility also include new athletic fields, two locker rooms, an athletic training room and new lighted trophy cases are also among the new additions.

Performers will be able to use a new 600-seat auditorium. The stage is spring-boarded for dancers, to ease the impact on their bodies.The acoustics are specially designed, and the technology is some of the most advanced in the state.

It’s all a large improvement from what students were using before. Performers were using a small stage in the cafeteria. The band was using the gymnasium for shows. Athletes were sharing lockers with PE classes.

“It’s a tremendous improvement,” Smith said.

This facility mixes “Friday night lights” with spotlights in an effort to save money. Smith said they were able to create a much better building than they expected because of the multi-use design.

“We might have a dollar left when we’re done,” Smith said.

Even though it’s all part of Madras High School, the name reflects who the building is really meant for.

“It’s the Madras Performing Art Center,” Smith said. “It’s all of our schools and the whole community’s.”

Its doors open in December.