OTSELIC – The Otselic Valley school board voted unanimously in favor of a proposed building project last week. If approved by voters next month, the project will see the elementary school in Georgetown converted into a transportation and community center, while the Junior-Senior High School in South Otselic will expand to serve grades K–12.
Approximately 20 people attended the special meeting and hour-and-a-half presentation, according to Superintendent Richard Hughes, who called the $17 million plan a long-term solution to some of the district’s recent budget woes. The switch to one campus, he added, will save on staffing, transportation, utilities and other costs.
The district first began looking into the building project in January, reported the superintendent, when its facilities team and board of advisors sat down to discuss the many needs facing both campuses. The last time the district pursued any kind of building project was in 1994, he added, when wings were added to the elementary and junior-senior high schools.
“Basically, our financial team and the board of advisors said we’ve got to do something,” stated Hughes. “They developed several options, but it always boiled down to renovations at both campuses.”
In addition, the district’s current bus garage dates back to 1934, reported the superintendent.
Shortly thereafter, the two teams began interviewing architectural firms, finally settling on the Cazenovia-based Teitsch-Kent-Fay Architects, who immediately began working on the plan.
Originally, two proposals were laid out, one which would see renovations at both campuses, but wouldn’t save money in the long term, said Hughes. The second proposal – which would see the long-discussed merger of both campuses, made better financial sense, he added.
If approved, the plan would see the two schools merge for the 2013-2014 school year.
“Basically, we’re two budget cycles away if the community comes out to support this,” said Hughes, who added the local impact in regards to taxes would be “easily covered by the move to one campus.”
“This is a great option for the district to look at and hopefully the community comes out and voices their opinion,” he added. “This is a good, long-term plan.”
According to Hughes, a pair of additional community meetings have been scheduled to discuss the project, at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 14 and 20 at the Otselic Valley Elementary School, Georgetown, and the Junior-Senior High School, South Otselic, respectively. A final vote on the proposed project will be held on Sept. 28.