The Mansfield ISD Center for Performing Arts, located next to Ben Barber’s campus, is on schedule to be at completion on May 7 in time for graduation.The three level, 156,000 square-feet building consists of a main auditorium and a Professional Development Center. The main auditorium sections off into two lecture halls and leaving a smaller auditorium, three training computer labs and one banquet room which can separate into six smaller rooms.There are also offices for personnel and a kitchen which is equipped with a beverage station, coolers and ovens for staging food.

“It’s an investment not only for the students,” Assistant Principal Mrs. Murphree said, “but for the teachers as well.”

The Professional Development Center, which takes up about 24,000 square feet, will be used throughout the city and district for banquets and teacher training. The lecture halls can be used for gatherings of no more than 500 for meetings an so on. Lastly, the entire auditorium, about 132,000 square feet, can seat about 5,500 with an additional 500 seats on stage and will be used for large events, like graduation.

“Opening this new facility will alleviate the use of our labs which will make it more available to our teachers and students,” Mrs. Pinkerton said. “I think it’s going to be great to not have to tell the teacher’s ‘no’,”

The building was paid for out of savings from the construction of Lake Ridge High School and previous bond programs. [See this link for more funding details.] At this point, the main auditorium is 75 percent done and the learning area is 60-65 percent finished. The building will be at substantial completion on May 7, meaning furniture will be able to be moved in and get ready for opening.

“The board believes this building will have a positive impact for the district,” Director of Communications and Media Ritchie Escovedo said. “There’s a variety of needs, and this facility will meet those needs for the district.”