Press release of June 25, 2009

Renovations Committee makes recommendations

BH-BL school board planning renovations vote in October

BURNT HILLS:  Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Board of Education members discussed recommendations from a renovations advisory committee at their business meeting on June 23 and indicated they plan to hold a public vote on renovations this coming October.

    The specific date, projects to be included, and total dollar amount of the referendum are yet to be decided. The district is currently discussing projects in the range of $20 - 25 million, says superintendent Jim Schultz, but more research is needed before a total figure can be determined.

Energy savings & safety to be themes this year

    School board members indicated that they are particularly interested in including projects that will reduce energy costs, improve student safety and simply maintain the community's investment in school facilities in the upcoming vote. 

    "Much as the board would also like to include programmatic changes that could allow us to improve how instruction is offered, we are not sure the community would support that at this time," said Schultz. "In the current economy it's important to focus on essentials like replacing antique boilers and upgrading fifty-year-old septic systems."

    Energy conservation projects that board members appear to favor include replacing the Stevens elementary school boiler and heating system for $3.6 million, replacing boilers and heating controls at Charlton Heights elementary for $1.5 million, and replacing deteriorating roofing, exterior doors, and single-pane windows throughout the district.

    Redesign of the traffic pattern at both the O'Rourke middle school and Stevens elementary school top the list of possible safety projects. Each project would cost over $1 million, would separate car and bus traffic, and would reduce congestion on Lakehill Road at certain times of the day. "Traffic nearly grinds to a halt on Lakehill Road now, and this is something that impacts the entire town," noted assistant superintendent Jackie St. Onge. "In fact both of these projects have been priorities for us for a number of years."

   Other projects that the board was told were particularly urgent include upgrading aging movable gym walls at various schools, replacing the Stevens gym floor, and resurfacing the high school track.

    Supervisor of building and grounds Dan Diggins said the Stevens gym floor is so old and worn down that custodians can no longer refinish it every August as they usually do. Resurfacing the high school's aging track in the next couple years would actually save money, he explained. Resurfacing can only be done while the track's underlying structure is sound, otherwise the whole structure must be replaced. He also said that a report on specific needs in school septic systems is being prepared and will be ready for the board by late July.

Recommendations from two committees

    School board members are using recommendations from two district committees to help prioritize projects to include in a vote. A Critical Infrastructure Needs Committee researched the most urgent needs in district facilities and prepared a list of potential projects totaling $39.5 million for the board in March.

     A follow-up Referendum Review Committee of 21 residents and staff members examined this list, toured facilities, and made recommendations to the board in June. Because many needs are so critical, the second committee was strongly in favor of holding a referendum this fall, St. Onge says, rather than waiting another year and hoping the economy will improve.

    BH-BL has a long history of using community representatives to help prioritize needs and then passing renovations referenda every five to six years to meet those needs. Previous referenda ranging from $870,000 to $16 million were approved in 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998 and 2003. Additionally district voters approved a renovations package in March 2007 that used state EXCEL aid to complete $4.9 million in projects at no additional cost to local taxpayers.

Research underway on moving district offices

    In its long-term strategic plan, the board is considering relocation of the district offices from the Hostetter Building to within an existing school.

    One option under discussion is retrofitting space within an existing building for central office staff. This decision cannot be finalized until a settlement is reached with the district's insurance company regarding payment for damages to the Hostetter Building in last November's water main break and subsequent major flood.

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