By STEPHEN BARTLETT
DANNEMORA — Saranac Central School is scrapping its plans for a capital project indefinitely.
School officials came to the decision after voters overwhelmingly rejected a $17.5 million capital project last month and based on exit interviews.
"It's the economy," said Saranac Central School Superintendent Kenneth Cringle. "It's just not the right time."
That means boiler replacements could come out of the general fund, though Cringle is hoping they last until some future project.
Saranac school officials had put together a $17.5 million energy, technology and facility capital project.
More than 80 percent of it was energy- and technology-related work at Saranac Middle/High School and Morrisonville and Saranac elementary schools.
The proposal included replacing boilers, windows, water heaters and lighting; upgrading playing fields and playgrounds; and purchasing interactive white boards.
The plan aimed to bring areas of the district in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The project also included a 3,000-square-foot addition at Saranac Elementary School that would have housed classroom space and the district office, which is now located near Dannemora Elementary School.
The office building is part of a preliminary sales agreement with a prospective buyer and also includes the school buildings in Cadyville and Dannemora that were closed in July 2006.
Last month, district residents defeated the proposal by a vote of 636 to 355.
"The Board of Education felt, as well as I, that we should shelve the project indefinitely," Cringle said.
"For now, we want to get past the tentative sale of the schools, and we are hoping the economy improves.
"We also felt after reviewing our exit-survey comments it is in the best interest to postpone indefinitely."
Cringle and the board hope some additional time will help.
"If the ongoing sale of the schools comes to fruition, that will really define our space needs and provide us with additional revenues," Cringle said.
School officials will not discuss the sale except to say they are still working on a tentative agreement.
An outside firm will re-examine and review boilers and heating systems.
"If there are immediate needs, we will address it through our general budget," Cringle said.
"We are hoping they will continue to operate until possibly another capital project can be considered. I won't say efficiently but just operate."
School officials felt that meeting students' needs was important, such as through the purchase of interactive white boards, which are prevalent in many schools and businesses.
"But listening to our community, we need to put that on hold for the time being," Cringle said.
E-mail Stephen Bartlett at: sbartlett@pressrepublican.com
