The FAB is torn apart, waters flowing in, construction workers are hard at work, what is going on?
For those who do not know, the Fine Arts Building, also known as the FAB, is a big part of our school. It’s where we host our school plays, talent shows, musicals, FFA Chapter lunches, and much more. When it’s not in use for afterschool activities, it’s used as a place to escape the rain, class assemblies and a full time classroom for the choir and theater, dance, music classes and AAI. So back to the big question, what’s going on with our FAB?
In 2016, Arcata High opened the F.A.B., built by Piersons Company paid for by a bond and community donations to provide a space for arts. In 2019, Arcata received a Career Tech Education (CTE) grant to make the FAB better suitable for producing theater and music events. Approximately one year after it was built, Melanie Zapper was going to put on a show when she noticed a significant problem.
“There was a day, about exactly a year after the building had been opened in March, right before we did our play, where it was literally water falling, so much water on stage, like pouring,” Zapper said.
Pierson’s Company was called and under warranty, fixed the leak above the stage so it would not leak on stage again.
Zapper noticed a correlation between the initial problems indoors to the current damage on the exterior. “But I don’t really think that got fixed, because the same place, like, if you look at the outside of the building on the inside…” Fast forward six years after receiving the CTE grant, Adams Commercial General Contracting inc. (ACGC), began planning. They were about to start building when they noticed signs of rot and leaks. There was water damage getting in.
“So we’re just chasing rot throughout [the building]” the foreman of ACGC said. On a scale rated of 1 through 10, the foreman stated “I mean, there’s certain little couple members {different pieces of the plywood} that are real bad, but overall, it’s probably a two.”
Although the power tools can be heard from the main school building, the sounds are way louder in classrooms in the F.A.B. Zapper doesn’t believe the noises have been too much of a disruption .Zapper described the construction as a visual disruption and not too much of a class disruption. “There’s just a loud bang and things are shaking in the air, but you’re like, it’s just them on the roof” Zapper said.
Zapper also stated that the noises of tools are a part of theater. “I’ve been in busy classrooms my whole life, and there’s always a lot going on in a theater. We run impact drivers when we’re building scenery.”
Andrew Henderson, the choir teacher, believes differently. Henderson believes that it is a “disruption for music” and stated “It’s just kind of chaos.” Henderson also stated that some of his equipment has stopped working since construction started.
When asked if he believed the construction was the cause, Henderson claimed “I think so. I honestly think so.”
Brenden Mosher is a junior at Arcata High who actively participates in the Arcata Arts Institute (AAI) music branch. This is Moshers’ second year in AAI music. He claimed that the F.A.B. construction makes it very hard to practice, especially without a stage as the stage prepares them for their shows. Mosher believes that it won’t affect him too much, as he’s gotten prior experience in front of a crowd, but it puts a roadblock in their practices.
Mosher said “It’s just that it’s kind of a pain because we can’t practice all at once. Like, we have to share the rooms with other people, so we can’t be working for the whole class period. We have to take turns with the other groups”.
Mosher also wanted to add that the stage “is a hardhat zone, just so you know. It’s pretty unsafe.”
Arcata High head custodian, Jim Hogan, claimed there are lawyers involved in the situation. When brought up to Zapper, she responded with “I hope so” as the FAB plays a big role in her classes.
The overall price of the F.A.B construction is unclear as more problems arise. The F.A.B’s stage is expected to be completed by December, but for the outside, there is no say when it will be completed.
“The FAB is the center for music education, the arts,” sophomore Trillium Pitts said. “A lot of students come there for lunch and it’s kind of just a safe space for a lot of kids.”
