Press-Republican

Local News

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
August 27, 2007

Ticonderoga schools seek $23 million building project

By LOHR McKINSTRY

TICONDEROGA -- A $23.87 million building project that would add a new High School wing is set to go before Ticonderoga Central School District voters in September.

The vote is from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at Ticonderoga High School and the Hague Community Center.

A District Facilities Committee has been working on the project for a year, Superintendent John McDonald Jr. said.

"The community was well-represented on the committee. They left no stone unturned. We identified a lot of work in terms of security and safety."

The architects, Collins and Scoville, PC, of Albany, came up with eight options for the district to chose from.

THE PROJECT

Selected were a new High School wing to house the Technology Department, with bays at the rear for the Marine and Recreational Technology Program and first-floor classrooms and gallery space for the Art Department and second-floor Music Department classrooms.

The offices for the High School, Elementary School and Middle School will be relocated to the entrance areas for security reasons, and district offices will move into the High School.

High School windows will be replaced, and the gymnasium will get a new floor and bleachers.

A new cafeteria and kitchen will be added at the Elementary-Middle School, along with new classrooms there.

The project will enclose the open-space libraries in both the middle and elementary schools so they can be used as safe areas in case of emergencies. It will also redesign the student drop-off area to make it easier for parents to use.

COST

McDonald said the $23.87 million cost of the project will be offset by 68-percent state building aid and $700,000 in State Excel Program aid.

The district plans to partner with International Paper, which has a mill in Ticonderoga, to qualify for a U.S. Department of Education Qualified Zone Academy Bond for an interest-free loan of $2.7 million. As part of the required business contribution, IP will match 10 percent of the loan.

The local share of the project amounts to about $1.01 million a year. A taxpayer with a house assessed at $100,000 and a basic STAR exemption would pay an extra $72 a year in school taxes.

P-R FIRM HIRED

For this vote, the district is using the services of WriteEdge Communications of Gansevoort to help publicize the project to residents.

That's resulted in a slogan for the project, "What are we building? It's more than just bricks and mortar," which the district will use in flyers and ads.

McDonald said he felt that a previous building project in 2003 was sabotaged by an erroneous anonymous flyer that was inserted into copies of a weekly paper just before the vote. That project, for $20.7 million, included a swimming pool and new gymnasium -- items that are not in the current project.

The previous project may have been defeated by the inaccurate flyer, McDonald said, so the Facilities Committee asked the architects if they could recommend a public-relations firm to counter any negative campaign. The $9,500 cost to hire the consultants will be included in the architectural fees, he said.

"There was a lot of misinformation that came out in the last project. We did not do a good job of educating (residents). The committee felt we needed to do a good job (this time) and deal with the misinformation."

CHARACTER

The project's slogan is meant to convey the fact that they're also building the character of their students with a good education, McDonald said.

Using the academy model will mean incorporating top-level ethics, work habits and skills into the curriculum, he said.

"We're trying to address the needs of our kids, to provide them with opportunities. We believe art, music and technology are part of a well-rounded education."

lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

Recent Article Comments
Albany Round-up

Photo of the Day
Strange News
Videos: Editor Picks
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48 Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party 79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service