G-MU to vote on $8.5M building project
COPES CORNERS – With voting just weeks away, Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton’s school superintendent explains how the school and its students will benefit from upgrades to both the inside and outside of the building.
Approximately a year has passed since a committee was formed to examine and explore options to be included for a building project. A committee of 13, with 12 of the individuals living within the school tax district, have designed a project proposal that will be voted on by the public from noon to 8 p.m. Dec. 12 in the main lobby of the school.
Superintendent Doug Exley explains this proposal, unlike the one presented to voters in 2003, is better designed to meet the needs of the students as well as ease the burden on tax payers.
“We are utilizing the state EXCEL aid, which for us being a high needs district is the maximum it can be by the state, and we still have building merger aid,” said Exley. “The costs are covered 98 percent and has zero impact on the tax levy.”
Over the past year the committee has maintained a primary focus on educating the public on what to expect as a result of voting to approve the project. “The committee has gone to local organizations as well as doing house visits, which brought community members together in a casual type setting,” said Exley.
To receive EXCEL aid from the state education department the school has to clearly identify their needs and how the project fits into the limitations of the five specified areas laid out by the state. “We hope to target all five areas,” said Exley, stating also that the district complied with the New York state building condition survey.
The project, totaling $8.5 million, will include peaking the roof of the building and replacing the existing flat style roofs on both the gymnasium and the auditorium. Additional parking in two separate locations will be put in place, totaling 90 new spaces, and a specialized parent pick-up/drop-off area will be built. “It is a safety concern. This way no child will have to cross the roadway to get into the building or meet their rides,” explained Exley.
Two members of the building project committee either were part of or currently work for the town’s highway department and came up with an efficient way to re-use the existing gravel around the building. Exley explains in order to be efficient, the project calls for the existing blacktop to be dug it up, ground and put back in place.
More energy efficient lighting will be put throughout the building, technology and communication upgrades will be put in place and the heating and ventilation system now running DOS or disk operating system will be upgraded to a Windows platform that engineers are now acquainted with. The playground equipment will be upgraded with a rubber matting system and the recreational playing fields will be expanded. Exley explains the school has a “pit” in back of the building and that will be filled in with excess material after excavation is done to aid the expansion of the fields.
Both the library in the elementary and secondary schools will be increased in size and a major focus on science will be put in place. The superintendent says there will be roughly a 1,400 square foot space where science labs will be put in for elementary students. Half of the space will be used by kindergarten through third grade, while the other half will be used by fourth through sixth graders.
“This will be a huge benefit for kids to get them excited about science at an early age,” said Exley. The high school science lab will also be expanded. The music department will see more practice area and the track will benefit not only the students, but also the community with an all-weather track put in place for walkers. “The entire project is based on technology and educational upgrades for our students,” said Exley. He explains the new proposal has addressed what the concerns were in 2003 when the last project was voted down by the community. “We have made adjustments and we are responding to what the concerns were and also providing the necessary upgrades to protect the facilities and at the same time provide educational upgrades to our students,” he said.
There will be a public hearing where the committee will be on hand to outline the project and answer questions at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4 in the secondary library. If the project is approved, Exley says drawings will be immediately started, and depending on the state education approval, construction could start as soon as the spring of 2009.
Approximately a year has passed since a committee was formed to examine and explore options to be included for a building project. A committee of 13, with 12 of the individuals living within the school tax district, have designed a project proposal that will be voted on by the public from noon to 8 p.m. Dec. 12 in the main lobby of the school.
Superintendent Doug Exley explains this proposal, unlike the one presented to voters in 2003, is better designed to meet the needs of the students as well as ease the burden on tax payers.
“We are utilizing the state EXCEL aid, which for us being a high needs district is the maximum it can be by the state, and we still have building merger aid,” said Exley. “The costs are covered 98 percent and has zero impact on the tax levy.”
Over the past year the committee has maintained a primary focus on educating the public on what to expect as a result of voting to approve the project. “The committee has gone to local organizations as well as doing house visits, which brought community members together in a casual type setting,” said Exley.
To receive EXCEL aid from the state education department the school has to clearly identify their needs and how the project fits into the limitations of the five specified areas laid out by the state. “We hope to target all five areas,” said Exley, stating also that the district complied with the New York state building condition survey.
The project, totaling $8.5 million, will include peaking the roof of the building and replacing the existing flat style roofs on both the gymnasium and the auditorium. Additional parking in two separate locations will be put in place, totaling 90 new spaces, and a specialized parent pick-up/drop-off area will be built. “It is a safety concern. This way no child will have to cross the roadway to get into the building or meet their rides,” explained Exley.
Two members of the building project committee either were part of or currently work for the town’s highway department and came up with an efficient way to re-use the existing gravel around the building. Exley explains in order to be efficient, the project calls for the existing blacktop to be dug it up, ground and put back in place.
More energy efficient lighting will be put throughout the building, technology and communication upgrades will be put in place and the heating and ventilation system now running DOS or disk operating system will be upgraded to a Windows platform that engineers are now acquainted with. The playground equipment will be upgraded with a rubber matting system and the recreational playing fields will be expanded. Exley explains the school has a “pit” in back of the building and that will be filled in with excess material after excavation is done to aid the expansion of the fields.
Both the library in the elementary and secondary schools will be increased in size and a major focus on science will be put in place. The superintendent says there will be roughly a 1,400 square foot space where science labs will be put in for elementary students. Half of the space will be used by kindergarten through third grade, while the other half will be used by fourth through sixth graders.
“This will be a huge benefit for kids to get them excited about science at an early age,” said Exley. The high school science lab will also be expanded. The music department will see more practice area and the track will benefit not only the students, but also the community with an all-weather track put in place for walkers. “The entire project is based on technology and educational upgrades for our students,” said Exley. He explains the new proposal has addressed what the concerns were in 2003 when the last project was voted down by the community. “We have made adjustments and we are responding to what the concerns were and also providing the necessary upgrades to protect the facilities and at the same time provide educational upgrades to our students,” he said.
There will be a public hearing where the committee will be on hand to outline the project and answer questions at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4 in the secondary library. If the project is approved, Exley says drawings will be immediately started, and depending on the state education approval, construction could start as soon as the spring of 2009.
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