Lebanon — School officials are expected to continue planning for the potential modernization of Lebanon’s four school buildings during a meeting with architects tonight.

The Lebanon School Board will review new designs for the schools that are meant to address previous concerns that past proposals were too costly and couldn’t easily be broken up into separate projects.

School Board members requested that New Hampton, N.H.-based Marinace Architects adjust plans for school upgrades in the wake of a failed March vote that requested $29.1 million from city voters.

That plan would have built secure entryways, added instructional and special needs space, and improved cafeterias and lunchrooms at Lebanon’s schools.

However, it also drew debate over a proposed $12.1 million addition at Lebanon High School for a 650-seat auditorium and performing arts space.

After the vote, officials held a public forum and asked architects in June to create plans that could improve the high school with or without the auditorium. They also requested designs that could improve traffic around the schools and potentially cost less.

Plans for Lebanon High School now include a 775-seat auditorium capable of holding the school’s entire student body and faculty.

Architects also reworked the floor plan so that a lobby, student center and band room all could be constructed together, without the auditorium, if necessary. Like past proposals, a secure entry would be built alongside a reception area and security office, which would double as office space for the school’s resource officer.

Next door at the Hanover Street School, architects call for four new classrooms, a secure entryway, reorganized special services space and a cafeteria dedicated to the elementary school students.

Renderings for the shared campus show reconfigured parking lots designed to separate traffic between the schools. There also would be an enlarged Hanover Street School playground and 60 new parking spaces.

Plans for the Mount Lebanon School show a dedicated car drop off area with 10 new parking spots. The school also would get a secure entrance, as well as a full kitchen, multipurpose room upgrades and additional handicap assessable toilets.

All together, the total project would cost taxpayers $30.8 million with the high school auditorium, according to an estimate architects provided to the School Board. Construction would cost about $21.4 million if the district decided to move forward without the performance space.

“It should be a very substantive conversation with (architect) Paul Marinace and I think the board is excited to see the results of his team’s work,” Lebanon School Board Chairman Adam Nemeroff said in an email on Tuesday.

The School Board is scheduled to discuss the proposed changes at 6:30 tonight at Lebanon Middle School.

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.