$3.5 Million Projects at Negaunee Schools

The Negaunee School District has wrapped up its long-awaited building and renovation projects at the middle and high schools.

Negaunee Middle School now has a new gym.

The work includes a concession stand, new locker rooms and new public restrooms.

Negaunee High School’s auditorium has also been redone.

It had 275 seats.

Now it has twice as many, 550, along with a stage large enough to accomodate 100 performers at once.

Superintendent Jim Derocher says the improvements were greatly needed.

He says the MHSAA has requirements for a certain amount of indoor gym and practice space for every district, and Negaunee was at risk of falling out of compliance with those rules.

Negaunee taxpayers approved bonds back in 2006 to pay for all the work.

The gym’s price tag was $2 million; the auditorium came in at $1.5 million.

The gym is already being used, while the auditorium needs a few minor changes to get up to code.

Derocher says he hopes the auditorium will be ready by the end of the week.