The District-wide security project is substantially complete in all buildings, with only minor punch list items to complete.
Visitors will notice the single point of entries at each building, with a secure vestibule. Once visitors are allowed into the vestibule, they will be required to provide a valid identification to be scanned through our visitor management system. There are many other safety features that have been installed throughout each building to improve building security.
As we wrap-up the loose ends of the security project, our Energy Performance Project that was approved by the voters in May 2019 is gaining momentum. This project will also touch all of our buildings including:
- Lighting upgrades
- Lighting controls
- WGHS auditorium lighting
- Enhanced HVAC controls
- Boiler replacements (WGM, SR, ST)
- Building envelope work (insulation and weather stripping)
- Freezer and cooler upgrades and controls
We have established the following target dates:
- Finalize the scope of work by November 2019 (Board Presentation December 4, 2019 if accomplished)
- Submit the documents to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) by December 2019
- Approval by March 2020
- Construction March 2020 to March 2021
We remain committed to providing our community and students with facilities that enhance instruction and learning, provide our students and staff with a safe and secure environment, and operate at optimal efficiency. We take great pride in our facilities that you have supported.
With over 930,000 square feet of buildings and 263 acres of land and outdoor facilities to maintain, this takes significant long-term planning and management. We commend our building and grounds staff for their attention to maintaining what the community has provided. We never take your support for granted and will continue to aim at exceeding your expectations.
As we have done for the past 30 years, we are committed to supporting our buildings through continuous maintenance to assure that we avoid large unanticipated expenditures for emergency repairs. As part of our long-term planning, we have begun assessing the needs of our buildings. Along with this, we are completing a student enrollment study and a financial outlook for capital projects.
Our financial goal is to bring the next capital project on the books as we are retiring the debt issue from November 1999. This will allow us to continue our building improvements with no impact on the tax levy. Our preliminary target is to finalize the scope of the next phase of facility improvements by this winter / early spring and to bring the plan to the voters in late spring or early fall 2020.