March 25 date set for capital construction vote
Owego Apalachin Central School District voters will have an opportunity to vote for OA’s next capital construction project in a special election scheduled for Tuesday, March 25.
At its February 7 meeting, the OA Board of Education considered recommendations for the project that will total nearly $13.5 million. Highland Associates, the district’s architecture and engineering firm for this project, and Bovis Lend Lease, the construction management firm for this project, assisted the board’s deliberations.
The project will require no new taxes.
Instead, the construction work will be funded through a combination of EXCEL aid (a special school construction aid fund created by New York state); funds from the district’s capital reserve fund; and building aid from the State Education Department.
“It’s a huge undertaking,” said the district’s superintendent, Dr. Bill Russell, “but it’s a necessary one. Much of the work included in this capital project will renovate and update our district’s infrastructure for years to come, and includes work on Owego Free Academy, Apalachin Elementary and Owego Elementary schools.
Some of the bigger items on the long list include:
* A new roof at OFA
* New energy management systems in the elementary schools
* New windows at AES and OES
* “Smart classrooms” throughout the district
* Lights on the stadium field, the tennis courts and the soccer pitch
* Repaved parking lots and sidewalks at OFA and OES
* Remodeled bathrooms in each school to meet handicap accessibility requirements, and a new elevator at OFA
* Replacement of HVAC systems that are at the end of their useful life
“Over the next few weeks, I’ll be speaking to various groups throughout the community, giving an overview of the project, as well as fielding questions,” said Dr. Russell.
The OA district will also publish a special edition of this newsletter, itemizing the work to be done, including cost estimates from each portion of the project. Additional information will be made available on the OA district web site (www.oacsd.org), through a brochure and through stories in area media.