Fitch Auditorium closed indefinitely

AUSTINTOWN — Fitch Auditorium at Austintown Fitch High School is temporarily closed because of safety concerns.

Superintendent Vince Colaluca said one of the weight and pulley systems broke, and while the fail safe mechanism worked, the district has decided to close the auditorium until the system can be fixed.

“We put everything on hold until we can get companies to come in to see what it is,” he said. “Then we will make determinations and get something rectified.”

The rigging system was installed in 1968. The lighting system, which was updated late last year, also dated to 1968.

The district has tentatively rescheduled all events through April 2, but that could change.

“Right now we’re planning on rescheduling things,” Colaluca said. “But if we get it resolved, we’ll move them back.”

This weekend’s Spring Choral concerts will take place at the Austintown Middle School Cafetorium. All other events have also been tentatively moved to the Cafetorium, with the exception of the March 15 band concert, which has been moved to the Fitch Gymnasium.