On Tuesday, June 3 voters in Piedmont will vote on Measure H, a bond measure that will raise the funds to upgrade and renovate the Alan Harvey Theatre.
According to the chair of the Yes for Measure H campaign Jonathan Davis, a bond measure raises money from a community for facility projects.
The theatre renovation will cost about 14.5 million dollars, and Measure H will provide 13.5 million dollars in funds. The school board has reserved half a million dollars and private donations will round out the funds for the project, according to the school board resolution.
Davis, who is spearheading the yes for H campaign, ran the campaign for the Measure A parcel tax that past last year. No opposition group has formed.
Davis said, “The reason [Measure H] is so important is because the the theatre can’t meet all the needs for the programs it supports and this effort keeps this great 40 year theatre lasting for 40 more years.”
The Yes for H campaign is also utilizing high school student volunteers. A group of ten juniors and seniors leaded a Yes on H mobilization rally on a pouring Saturday March 29, handing out packets in ponchos informing people on the measure. Nearly 50 students endured the rain to knock and drop information about the measure.
Junior Reina Lowe is helping on the Yes campaign.
She said, “I hope that being a part of something that can change our school dynamic will [help] me develop a passion for politics.”
According the school district website the Alan Harvey Theatre was built in 1975, and no longer reaches current codes. It is also not handicap accessible as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Earlier this fall the school district hired Quattrocchi Kwok Architects to examine the integrity of the current theatre, prepare preliminary drawings, and estimate the cost of renovating. The total estimate was 14.5 million dollars. Measure H would provide 13.5 million of the budget.
In a bond measure election 55% of voters must vote yes on the vote, not a simple majority, according to the school board resolution.
