This is part four in Jen’s series detailing the renovations to Cranston West’s auditorium.

School begins at Cranston High School West on Sept. 5, and on Sept. 6 the newly restored auditorium will be filled to capacity for the annual Open House event. Many who fill the seats will not realize all that took place over the summer months in order to get the auditorium to the place it is at now.

Since the fall of 2015 the Cranston High School West Alumni Association (CHSWAA) has been hard at work, calling for sponsors and donations of goods and services to help make their dream of a fully restored auditorium a reality. Now, just two short years later, the project has reached a milestone: painting, lighting, carpeting and seating are ready for the opening of school. Although CHSWAA President David DiMaio there is still a “punch list” of things to be done in order to complete this phase of the project, the space will be ready for the opening of school next week. From there, the association will move on to the next phase, hoping to be able to continue to restore the space, including the stage and back stage area if sponsorships and donations keep rolling in.

As with any large project, many hands make light work, and DiMaio knows that this project could not be done without the efforts, time, dedication and hard work of so many community partners, sponsors and individuals, and especially the superintendent, the school committee, and the current school administration who have all shown the group continuous support along the way.

“I am excited to be at this point,” DiMaio said last week as he scanned the room, looking at nearly 700 newly installed plush red and black seats. “The board of directors of the Alumni Association have been especially key in keeping this project going, especially Karen Casale, Ed Brady and Justin Erickson, and Amy Ricci.”

Citywide, the City Council president Mike Farina and those who voted in favor of the project, as well as Mayor Allan Fung have all backed the endeavor.

Local supporters at the state level have been key as well, including Sen. Hanna Gallo, Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and Rep. Stephen Ucci.

Sponsorship forms have been rolling in steadily throughout the project, with sponsors having the opportunity to have a plate attached to a seat in the auditorium with a personalized message on it. Seat locations vary with the sponsorship levels.

“The Laborers’ Union and the Charter High School, Tech 911, Zap Electric, Stephen J. Casale Painting, all corporate, platinum sponsors and very instrumental in helping us get to where we needed to be with this project,” said DiMaio. “So many of these businesses have graduated from West themselves and felt that the CHSW program helped them with their success and getting them where they needed to be. They all wanted to give back to the school with this project.”

The association is grateful to all who sponsored seats at any level. DiMaio estimates that of the 673 seats that are in the auditorium, only about 450 remain available for sponsorships, although that number changes quickly as sponsorship forms roll in. With each new sponsor, additional work can be accomplished on the project.

“There is so much that goes along with a project like this. There is the maintenance and upkeep of the space, and there are additional improvements still to be made,” DiMaio said. “Additional work still needs to take place and without everyone’s help, we can’t continue to move this project forward.”

Business partners who have donated goods and services have also been key to the project’s success.

“The Thirsty Beaver, Capital City Construction, Branch Flooring and WB Mason, each of these partners have people who are former students from West and wanted to give back,” DiMaio said.

In the final week before the school year officially begins, DiMaio will be checking in on the finishing touches, which will happen prior to the start of school, including painting of the outdoor space, and will begin to look ahead to the next items on the list of things to do. Additionally, he will be planning for an official celebration, which will be taking place in the auditorium later in the month of September for all who have been involved and all who wish to take part in celebrating the success of the first major phase of the project.

“I’m sure everyone will want to come in and see what’s been done so far,” DiMaio said. “It’s really beautiful in here now. It’s really all come together thanks to so many, and we’re excited to be able to let people come in and take a look.”

For more information about the Sept. 28 event, which will begin at 6 p.m., contact David DiMaio at davidcdimaio@gmail.com.