NORWICH – Crews at the Delaware-Chenango-Otsego-Madison County BOCES facility in Norwich are working to reach an early summer deadline.
Workers from Bearsch-Compeau Knudson Construction of Binghamton and architectural crews from C&S Companies out of Syracuse have been on-site at the East River Road facility since May.
The new additions are coming along and according to site manager Jim Slavetskas, the project is expected to meet the June deadline.
The renovations and construction is part of BOCES’ $49 million project, which includes both its Norwich and Masonville campuses.
Steve Perrin, Career and Technical Education Director for BOCES, said administrators hope to be moved into the new space before the school year ends in June.
The front building, consisting of two floors, will be the new home to alternative and special education students. The building will house 20 new classrooms for special and alternative education, plus 10 offices, counselor’s space, an elevator, mechanical room, storage, conference rooms and space for all the therapies.
“Most of the work that is complete is infrastructure, mechanical and engineering work,” said Mike DiPerna, building construction manager.
DiPerna said the addition is approximately 90 percent done downstairs and roughly 65 percent done upstairs.
Approximately 50 to 60 workers are on site daily. As the deadline approaches, that number is expected to increase. During a tour of the site Monday, crews were beginning to pour the foundation for the terrazzo flooring, painting the brick walls, starting the detail work and more.
Providing added space for alternative education was essential, Perrin explained. “There are currently 45 students attending the program,” he said. The curriculum in place for the alternative education is required by the state to provide students everything they would receive in a regular school district. In preparation of the growth of participation and requirements, the BOCES facility needed to have a gymnasium and specialized classrooms.
BOCES administrators have stated previously that more room was necessary to meet the needs of their growing special education population, currently totaling 100 students.
New spaces in the gym addition include an aerobic room, weight room, culinary arts classroom, dining area, and the gymnasium. Like other areas in the building large windows are in place inside the dining room to allow increased light into the building.
“The flooring will coordinate with the ceiling designs,” said DiPerna. The campus, including both additions, will follow a mall-like pattern to allow for a food court atmosphere.
Perrin said each of the technical program areas will be constructed to include a customer service area and “students will get to work in a professional technical atmosphere.”
“This will help prepare them for the workforce,” he said.
Once the major construction is complete, the crews will then focus their attention on the inside of the building and complete the remodeling of the culinary arts wing, as well as build a media library center planned to begin in 2009.