San Diego Union-Tribune

The Oceanside Unified board of trustees on Tuesday unanimously selected an architect from among five finalists to design the Oceanside High Performing Arts Center.

The winning firm was Harley Ellis Devereaux, which presented a conceptual design for the theater that included copper paneling and a shared lobby for the two main performance halls slated for the facility.

The school district's budget for the project is about $17 million, to be paid for with bond proceeds. The district envisions the project as a work of architectural art that would be one of the most prominent features one would notice upon entering North County along the Interstate 5 corridor.

"At a time of other austerity, they (district leaders) don't want to give up on the arts for the kids," said Christopher Knell, Harley Ellis Devereaux managing partner.

"We're very excited and we're ready to go crazy. Let's go," Knell said to the board of education.

District administrators will negotiate a contract with the firm for the work and give attention to the specifics of the project. The architects had been limited in their interaction with district officials in the conceptual design phase for the theater.