Marshall Board Awards Forsythe Arts Center Audio, Lighting, Electrical Bids

Marshall Board of Education | August 13, 2026

Article Summary: The Marshall C.U.S.D. C-2 Board of Education voted unanimously on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, to accept bids from Advanced Audio & Lighting Systems, Inc. and Central State Construction for audio, lighting, stage curtain and electrical upgrades at the MJHS Forsythe Performing Arts Center, rejecting a scaled-back lighting alternative in favor of the full package.

Forsythe Performing Arts Center Updates Key Points:

Advanced Audio & Lighting Systems, Inc. bid $158,625 for audio system updates, $144,125 for lighting updates and $16,000 for stage curtain replacement; Central State Construction bid $90,750 for the accompanying electrical work.

Bids were opened Monday, Aug. 10, three days before the board acted.

The board discussed a modified lighting proposal but determined it was best to do the full update.

The stage curtain will be paid for with Health Life Safety funds and a portion of a school maintenance grant, and the district has $50,000 from a foundation toward the audio and lighting work.

MARSHALL — The Marshall C.U.S.D. C-2 Board of Education on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, voted 7-0 to approve bids for curtain, audio, lighting and electrical upgrades at the MJHS Forsythe Performing Arts Center, committing the district to four separate bid amounts from two contractors after rejecting a smaller lighting option.

Board member Crews offered the motion to approve the bids from both firms, and board member Hendrix seconded. On roll call, all seven members present voted aye: Crews, Morecraft, Lycan, Maurer, Gard, Hendrix and Macke.

Four Bid Amounts From Two Contractors

According to the minutes, bids for the Forsythe Performing Arts Center updates — covering curtain, audio, lighting and electrical upgrades — were opened Monday, Aug. 10. Advanced Audio & Lighting Systems, Inc. submitted a bid of $158,625 for audio system updates, $144,125 for lighting updates and $16,000 for stage curtain replacement. Central State Construction submitted a bid of $90,750 for the accompanying electrical work.

Taken together, the four amounts approved total $409,500.

The board weighed a cheaper alternative before voting. The minutes record that members discussed a modified lighting proposal but determined that it was best to do the full update. The record does not describe what the modified proposal would have changed, what it would have cost, or which members argued for or against it.

Funding Sources Detailed

The minutes identify funding for two pieces of the project. The curtain replacement will be paid for using Health Life Safety funds and a portion of a school maintenance grant. Separately, the minutes state the district has $50,000 from the foundation toward the audio and lighting work. The foundation is not named in either the agenda or the minutes, and no funding source is identified in the record for the balance of the audio, lighting and electrical costs.

The item reached the board as unfinished business. The meeting agenda lists “Action on Selection of Bids for MJHS Forsythe Performing Arts Center Updates” under Old Business, indicating the project was before the board prior to Thursday’s vote. Neither document states when the board authorized the bid solicitation or approved the project scope.

What the Record Does Not Say

Because the district’s August materials consist of an agenda and minutes with no accompanying packet, several details a reader would reasonably expect are absent from the public record. The minutes do not state how many bids were received in each category, whether Advanced Audio & Lighting Systems and Central State Construction were the only bidders, whether an architect’s or engineer’s estimate existed for comparison, or when work is scheduled to begin and finish. No bid tabulation, contract or specification document accompanies the minutes.

The upgrades come in a month when the district’s facilities needs drew sustained attention. In his report earlier in the same meeting, Superintendent Ross told the board that roofs over the entryways to the MJHS newer wing are leaking and will need repair, and he described progress on summer humidity and mold issues first raised in July. Those matters were reported separately and were not part of the Forsythe vote.