ST. ANTHONY, Idaho (KIFI)– Fremont and Madison County is once again putting a $17M bond initiative on the ballot for a new auditorium, a move that’s been attempted three times since the 90s.
South Fremont High School currently has just 280 auditorium seats for its 500 students, and the strain is being felt by students and staff.
Band and choir director Matt Bennett, a 30-year veteran of the district and a former South Fremont High student himself, says the need for a new space is long overdue.
“This is something that we need to happen for our students. Some people think it’s just going to be more luxurious and more comfortable for us, but the fact is, we haven’t had a performance space for 30 years, and it’s a need for these students to continue to grow their musicality (and) it’s a need for our community to have a space for our arts,” Bennett said.
South Fremont High School currently holds assemblies and concerts at their gym or at South Fremont Junior High School.
Bennett believes that this auditorium will benefit not just the school.
“I think the biggest thing is that people know that it’s not just going to benefit the high school and the music department, it’s going to benefit our entire community. We have opportunities to bring in professional musicians, professional acts, comedians, whatever. If we had a space to do that, we could increase community and Chamber of Commerce activity if we had a space to bring in these professional acts,” Bennett said.
Bennett says that the bond has failed due to multiple factors, particularly financial concerns from voters.
“In years past, we’ve asked for an auditorium and a gymnasium Three years ago, the bond failed because we felt like we were asking too much as a district. But there was some money that came in from the state and we were able to build a stand alone gymnasium, some CTE classrooms, and a greenhouse,” Bennett said.
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