Lehighton Area High School’s spring drama club performance, by all indications, will have a change of venue for the second consecutive year.

After lighting and soundboard issues in the high school auditorium were brought to the school board’s attention last winter by drama club adviser Laurel Zimmerman, the April performances of “Crazy For You” were moved to the middle school stage.

Nearly a year later, the estimated project cost and potential supply chain issues once a vendor is selected have bogged down the process, leaving Zimmerman feeling frustrated and disappointed for her students.

“We haven’t received any news about the timeline to get everything up and running,” Zimmerman told the board Monday night. “It really is important for our students to be able to perform in the building where they go to school. So much has been taken from them over the past few years. I just feel like the whole process has come to a screeching halt.”

Lehighton Business Manager Edward Rarick said several companies were approached for quotes to upgrade the lighting and audio in the auditorium. The plan, he said, was to use federal COVID-19 funding to pay for the work.

“The value of the quotes that came back pushed us into the threshold where we have to bid the project,” Rarick said. “We contacted our attorney to put together a bid package, but we have since gone beyond that and sought another route. We were hoping to have a proposal on the table for this board meeting, but we had to go back to the vendors to get a better apples to apples comparison.”

Even after Lehighton makes a decision on a vendor, the likelihood of getting work done before the spring, Rarick said, is low.

“In our communication with the vendors, they have told us that is because of the backlog in getting products,” he said. “That isn’t because of anything in our control. That backlog concern dated back even to last year when initially engaged vendors about the soundboard and speakers.”

Zimmerman said time is of the essence because the drama club is starting to build sets for its spring production of “Bye Bye Birdie.” If it starts to build sets at the high school, she added, and the performances are moved to the middle school, sets would need to be disassembled and reconstructed at the new venue.

“Having our auditorium equipment working would be a great way to show we care about the kids,” Zimmerman said. “If the stadium lights were not working, I feel strongly that it would have been taken care of by now. I think it’s time to start focusing more on music and the arts. There is a place for everyone there to foster self-confidence and pride.”

Later in Monday’s meeting, Lehighton tabled a $10.922 proposal from Keystone Fire and Security to install upgraded audio/visual equipment in the district’s board. The board requested a proposal after hearing from community members that its livestream of meetings was difficult to hear.

Zimmerman, however, said she feels the money would be better spent on the auditorium project.

“What is the bigger priority?” she said. “The community can come to a board meeting at any time if they choose to, but we can’t have a show or concert or presentation in the auditorium right now. You can take the $10,000 you are considering here and put that toward something that will impact the students as well.”

Director Barbara Bowes said the $10,000 for the board room equipment is a far cry from the $100,000 it may take to upgrade the auditorium.

“It is a big issue for those who watch on the livestream because they can’t hear anything,” Bowes said. “I tried to go back and listen to the solar project presentations and I couldn’t hear them. I think we need to do something to improve the quality for our stakeholders.”

Board President Joy Beers said while the district has been discussing upgrading the audio in the board room for about a year, it wants to make sure everything is carefully thought out and that could include reaching out to other vendors for pricing.