Sierra College Nevada County campus may finally have a performing arts center with a seating capacity of about 220, according to recent revisions in a campus-wide building program.

And though most people gathered at a meeting to discuss the proposal Friday urged a larger venue, at least one person questioned whether western Nevada County could fill a larger space.

The original proposal for new campus construction offered the college a "campus center" - a multi-purpose building containing a small stage and performance area, two lecture halls and an exhibit space.

That plan, released last year, disappointed members of the local arts and entertainment community who believe a 2004 bond measure for $44.4 million in campus construction promised a full-scale performing arts center.

But costs for the building program are rising faster than planners expected, and projected costs for last year's proposal already exceed the budget by $5 million due to inflation fueled by high demand for construction materials worldwide, college Trustee Aaron Klein said Friday.

College officials are looking for ways to trim the overall cost of the construction program, Klein said.

At the forum held at Peace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, about 100 people offered suggestions for cutting costs - mainly looking for ways to channel resources back to a full-fledged performing arts center.

Physical education facilities, in particular, came under fire from the audience - a group of mostly older people.

Emotions soared as the overwhelming majority of attendees expressed the need for a performing arts center on the campus. But many of those present also said the facility should accommodate an audience of about 300 people, not the 220 as proposed in the new plan.

According to the new proposal, the performing arts center would have tiered seating for 220, strong acoustics and a flexible stage. That way, the room can be used for traditional music and choir performances, drama and banquets.

Peggy Levine, a board member of the Sierra College Foundation, questioned whether the community could fill a larger auditorium. Music in the Mountains, the Center for the Arts and the Foothill Theatre Company rarely sell out their performances, Levine said.

"The broad consensus is that we need a performing arts center," Klein said. "It's the scale we are deciding on."

Some of the main solutions attendees suggested for dealing with the projected $5 million cost overrun were:

• Integrate the health and physical education building with the performing arts center to reduce costs.

• Put the footings and foundations in place and go back for a second bond to finish the buildings.

• Involve performing arts faculty and staff in designing the performing arts venue.

• Postpone the building of the physical education building or reduce its scale, instead of reducing facilities for fire training, nursing and performing arts.

Klein said he would present the suggestions of the community to the college board, but would not promise any course of action.

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To contact Soumitro Sen, e-mail ssen@theunion.com or call 477-4229.