Shen board OKs schools' upgrade

PHOTOGRAPHER: Cari Scribner

The Shenendehowa School District Board of Education approved a bid of $933,013 by CSArch-Architecture/Construction Management for reconstruction at Arongen Elementary School and the Shenendehowa High School East.

The summer projects will include mechanical, electrical, security system and roof upgrades. Arongen, a district school opened in 1991, will be undergoing major roof repairs. At the high school, the ventilation and air handling systems built in 1969 are being replaced, and a new security system is being installed.

The safety and efficiency improvements at the high school and elementary school this summer are part of the $8.2 million capital proposition approved in a referendum in January 2007 for districtwide construction work. School district officials said approximately 70 percent of the total cost is funded through state building aid. The remaining $3.1 million is paid for through a one-time only grant sponsored by the state Legislature to provide additional funding to schools for certain types of construction.

Superintendent of Schools L. Oliver Robinson said the district and its taxpayers were fortunate the New York State funds were available to make the needed upgrades.

“Thanks to a the one-time EXCEL program offered by the state, the district was able to make many important safety improvements as well as address other critical repairs at no cost to local property taxpayers,” Robinson said. “Knowing that these opportunities are rare in public education, we made

every effort to use the money to help fund projects that were identified as most critical by our districtwide safety and facility committees.”