SHERBURNE – Phase one of Sherburne-Earlville’s $25.2 million building project is expected to begin this spring, and with the question of what the potential costs will be, plans for phase two cannot be finalized until the district knows how much money it will have left.
According to Assistant Superintendent Thomas Strain, the plans for the first phase of the project were submitted to the New York State Education Department and the school is currently waiting for approval before it can begin. Strain said it is currently taking about six months for the approval process. “They’re short-handed at the state level,” Strain said.
Phase one of the project will include an expansion on the elementary building to accommodate the addition of a new band room. Air conditioning will be installed in the downstairs’ classrooms. The upstairs’ rooms were completed previously. A new concession stand will be built at the football stadium, and many of the parking lots and roadways will be repaved.
A geothermal system for heating and cooling the middle school/high school will also be installed during phase one. Strain said the school is already digging test wells for the project. “It’s a renewable energy source and it will meet updated air exchange codes,” he said.
Phase one of the project is only a small portion of the work that will be done. The assistant superintendent explained that specific details of phase two will depend on how much money is spent on the first phase of the project.
“We expect bids for contracts will be done in the spring with the anticipation of breaking ground as soon as school is out in June,” Strain said. “Some components of phase one are based on cost estimates, and it will depend on how the bids come in, before we know how much money is available for phase two.”
While some details will have to be established after the bids are received, the district will have the architects proceed with the drawings for the second phase of the project. Strain said once the bids are received, the school can add or eliminate some things from the project depending on the costs. “We included a fairly large estimate for inflation, but who knows whether it will be too much or too little?” Strain said.
Designs for phase two should be submitted to the state within a month. Original plans for the project called for an array of improvements including relocating the main office and guidance office in the middle school, adding a new security system, placing occupancy sensors in the classrooms, repairing walls and floors, adding ice and snow melt systems at the entrances and several other upgrades and improvements.
The project is being funded with the use of EXCEL aid, aid for high poverty districts and aid given to the school for merging in 1970. The project will have no impact on the district’s school taxes.
Additional information on the project can be found on the school’s web site at www.secsd.org.