Chateaugay school construction funded entirely by state, Noble

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November 11, 2009

Construction project funded entirely by state, Noble

By DENISE A. RAYMO The Press Republican Wed Nov 11, 2009, 10:28 PM EST

CHATEAUGAY — A proposed $8.8 million project at Chateaugay Central School will add pre-K space, replace the roof and build a new gym — and it won't raise taxes.

State aid, building-incentive aid, a special construction allocation and $540,000 in payments from wind-farm projects owned by Noble Environmental Power in Clinton County will pay for the entire project, which is slated to cost $8,840,000.

Improvement details will be shared when the School Board holds a public hearing at 7 tonight in the auditorium.

The vote is Tuesday, also in the auditorium.

"It has a little bit of everything," District Superintendent Dale Breault said about the project. "There are a lot of necessary things that have to be addressed.

"Our No. 1 priority is the roof. We are starting to get leaks and deterioration. With approval, we will put that application on the fast track so we can start it in the summer of 2010."

He said the secondary focus is work that was supposed to have been completed during a $10 million capital-improvement project between 1999 and 2001.

But cost overruns then postponed some of the work, which means the improvements are well overdue now.

That work includes replacement of the ceiling tiles and lighting fixtures that were installed in 1952, wall insulation for four classrooms built without it in the mid 1970s and replacement of some older, drafty windows.

Another important piece of the proposal is the addition of a second pre-kindergarten space, which would further reduce class ratios. It will also allow special-needs students to remain in the home district and be integrated with other students rather than being transported out for their class work.

"The cost savings is not the No. 1 concern" with the special-needs classroom, the superintendent said. "We want the students to get a good education in a setting with their peers and be able to excel."

Maintenance systems within the school will also be addressed, including an improved fire-alarm unit, emergency-generator work, installation of air conditioning in the auditorium and refurbishment of an older elementary-school bathroom.

"We're also looking at the elementary gymnasium," Breault said. "It was poorly designed room, and we're beginning to deal with crumbling walls, so we decided to demolish it and build a new one in its place."

Breault said the start of the gym phase would be pushed as far as it could into the spring of 2011 and take about a year to complete.

During construction, students would have gym classes outdoors in the spring and fall, depending on the weather, he said.

A 20-year-old playground of pre-treated lumber will be replaced with a steel one, the entrance to the elementary wing will be reconfigured to be more energy efficient, and a new gravel parking lot will add much-needed spaces, he said.

E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com