Regina Dominican’s auditorium renovation began in June 2016 and was completed on time in early-November 2016.  The planning of the renovation was spearheaded by Mrs. Suzanne Lefevre, Vice-President of Finance and Operations at Regina Dominican. The auditorium was due for a make-over due to crumbling asbestos tiling. A committee, formed by  Mrs. Lefevre,  included many members of the school community to  provide their input into the new space.

As in any construction, there were several possible plans that the committee was able to choose from. One plan was to just renovate the house and leave everything else the same. Another plan included the renovation of the house, but also added a wheelchair lift that would go up to the stage. The third plan included adding two wheelchair lifts. The fourth plan that was the one chosen for the auditorium. This included  renovation of the house as well as adding a wheel-chair ramp to the stage.

The addition of the ramp was an idea suggested by Mrs. Lefevre. She said that the ramp was implemented for an  “easier way to get up to the stage rather than the stairs.” Although the installation of the ramp obstructs the left side of the stage, the space has been given a new life. The new colors, new padded seats, new railings and ramp give the entire auditorium a more modern and fresh, clean look.

The $1.1 million budget for the auditorium was financed by the Regina Dominican  Gateway to Leadership Capital Campaign. According to Lefavre, the chairs, upholstered to absorb sound, cost $250,000 and the newly cemented floor and ramp cost approximately $500,000. With the asebetos abatement, the cost of the entire project went slightly over budget costing $1.3 million.

To provide a more open and modern space, some of the old seating was not replaced. Mr. Hiett said, “we lost 317 seats and are left with 857, with our original seat number being 1174.”

Although there are still 800 seats to comfortably seat the Regina Dominican community, there might be an issue for some of the venues who rent Regina’ auditorium for events.

Overall, the auditorium is a stunning space that the Regina Dominican community will enjoy for many years to come. The Regina Dominican community extends a huge thank you to the committee and especially to Mrs. Lefevre who made this  plan a beautiful reality.