The Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education met last week to discuss the raise in funding of the future performing arts center and athletic facility being built on campus.

The board will vote this Tuesday to authorize the district staff to solicit bids for the construction funds of the new performing arts center. Developers told the board Jan. 14 that an increase in funds will be necessary due to the delay caused by the ongoing construction of the new media arts building.

The board seemed confident in the development of these new facilities, despite the delays in construction.

“Construction is complex and includes many factors which are dependent on each other, including design, government approvals, contractor and subcontractor performance, financial status, and unforeseen conditions,” said Tabitha Kappeler-Hurley, who is currently the communications coordinator for PAUSD. “District staff continues to closely monitor progress and move the project along as well as we can.”

The board also approved two structural changes to the plans for the new athletic facility at the meeting.

The first of these is the move of the athlete treatment room to the lower level of the facility after developers determined it would be difficult to transport injured players off the court and then up flights of stairs.

The second change will be the location of the conditioning room within the floor plan. This change will allow spectators, coaches, and students to view into and out of the weight room from three sides, instead of the single side allowed in the previous layout. The developers and board agreed this would be safer and more convenient to both trainers and athletes.