LAGUNA BEACH : $100 Check Begins Amphitheater Drive

City Councilman Wayne L. Peterson is seeking community support to construct an amphitheater at Thurston Middle School, which is being partly rebuilt after some classrooms were destroyed in the October firestorm.

Peterson kicked off the fund-raising effort with a $100 check. An architect, a designer and a landscape architect have helped shape early plans for the theater, he said.

“We’re just charging ahead, although we haven’t raised a dime, except for my own check,” Peterson said.

Hoping to speed the process, Peterson is asking residents to join him at the site at 5 p.m. today to get involved in the project, which would rely on private funding.

Principal Cheryl Baughn applauded the plan Thursday and said the amphitheater could be used for assemblies and plays.

“I think it’s a very good idea,” she said. “It’s a very appropriate place for it, on the edge of the canyon. It takes advantage of the views and it will add to the (landscaping) of the school while still serving a practical purpose.”

Peterson said he came up with the idea shortly after the fire when he noticed an “unusable” pocket of land behind where the new classrooms will be built.

He said the land could be excavated, removing five to six feet of earth, allowing the installation of a three-tiered, 600-seat amphitheater that would feature a grass-covered stage.

If made part of the rebuilding project, Peterson said, the outdoor theater would cost about $50,000, much less than if it were constructed later.

But the project would have to be funded by Nov. 15, when bids are expected to be approved for the larger job, he said.

Baughn said that plans for the larger $2.3-million construction project were submitted to the state for approval Thursday. She agreed with Peterson that timing is important if the theater project is to proceed.

The October firestorm damaged or destroyed more than 400 homes in the Laguna Beach area. Thurston, the only school that was burned, lost its main academic building with 14 classrooms.

The amphitheater project will be discussed at the school board meeting Tuesday night.

Residents wishing to donate to the project can send money to School Power Endowment Fund, Amphitheater, P.O. Box 19, Laguna Beach, Calif. 92652.

Thurston Middle School is at 2100 Park Ave.

Construction Addition If Laguna Beach Councilman Wayne L. Peterson has his way, a 600-seat amphitheater will be built as part of the firestorm rebuilding taking place on the campus of Thurston Middle School. The $50,000 project would be funded from private sources.