School may be out for the summer, but that doesn’t mean there’s no work going on.
According to Rick Hostetler, the supervisor of Buildings and Ground for the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, the summer of 2014 has been one of the busiest summers he can recall.
In addition to trying to learn why heavy rains drown out the acoustics in the Unionville High School auditorium, Hostetler’s department went to work fixing two significant leaks in the high school and one at Hillendale Elementary School, as well as repairing the cafeteria floor at the high school.
It was reported earlier in the year that there was a great deal of discoloration of the cafeteria floor. Hostetler said during the Aug. 11 school board work session that moisture was found to be seeping up from beneath the floor. The areas of seepage were along butt joints in the concrete. Vapor barriers were in place, he said, but the moisture came in anyway.
The new flooring cost more than $100,000. Hostetler said the district would cover 75 percent of the cost, with the remainder being shared by the architect and the contractor.
When asked if the repair would hold, Hostetler said, “I’d be amazed if the problem came back.”
Fixing the acoustic problem in the auditorium remains a head-scratcher. Even the architect is uncertain why rain ruins the sound during performances.
Maryann Marotta, of MM Architects, said the auditorium was designed to create a live and resonant space using hard and soft surfaces. The roof is metal, but there are other materials layered into it.
She called the space “a live box” and, so far, has no idea why the acoustics are ruined when it rains. She added that possible solutions would disrupt the intended liveliness of the space.
Marotta added that she’s used the same design for other auditoriums, but Unionville is the only one experiencing the problem.
Jason Throne, the vocal music director, said the problem seems to be coming from the space over the stage.
Music Department Chairman Scott Litzenberg said the situation could become a bigger problem if the school or district tries to bring in outside performers. Unless and until the acoustics are fixed, people won’t want to perform there.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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