Road work to force change in Mechanicville school schedules

PHOTOGRAPHER: Tatiana Zarnowski

The Mechanicville Central School District will be operating on an altered schedule when the school year starts next week because of ongoing construction on South Street hill.

Officials said they expect the $2 million reconstruction and stabilization project will keep the street that climbs the hill between the city and the school complex in Halfmoon closed until Oct. 30.

District schools open Wednesday, Sept. 5. Starting that day, the elementary school day will begin 30 minutes later than usual, with the entrance bell ringing at 9:20 p.m. Dismissal time will be pushed back to 3:32 p.m. District officials said breakfast and lunch times will be adjusted within that schedule.

The junior/senior high school schedule will be unchanged. However, there will be no late buses until further notice.

Bus route pickup and drop-off schedules are expected to be about normal, district officials said. However, instead of taking the direct route up South Street hill, buses will have to take a longer route through the town of Halfmoon to reach the school complex, causing the delays.

The construction is being done by the city. Originally, city officials had planned for the work to be finished before school opened, but the construction contract wasn’t awarded until mid-July.

“A lot of paperwork put us behind schedule. They didn’t get out there until a couple of weeks ago, but now they’re moving along pretty good,” Mayor Anthony Sylvester said Tuesday.

Sylvester said the road should re-open on Oct. 30, though some finishing work will be continuing.