|
Article Audio:
|
SCHENECTADY — A proposal for the Schenectady City School District to lease or purchase the former OrthoNY building at 530 Liberty St. for district use could be on the ballot for district taxpayers in May.
Under the district’s proposal, the downtown office space would be leased or purchased and converted into a Family and Community Engagement Center.
The district would utilize the facility to house student registration services, as well as transportation, special education and parent resources.
During the district’s Board of Education meeting on March 1, Schenectady City School District Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. received permission from the board to explore a lease or purchase of the site, which has been vacant since the company moved its operations to a new location at 500 State St. in September.
Soler told the board that the district could consider a 10-year lease with the private owner that controls the former OrthoNY building.
The superintendent said that the district needs to upgrade its student registration facility.
“We have to give our families a good experience when they first interact with us,” Soler told the board. “Right now our experience is behind Mont Pleasant [Middle School] on the ground-level floor. I understand why things were done in the past, but if we have a chance to elevate that experience, I think we should. We have been looking for a place that would allow us to have central student registration and a district parent center that would have access to technology.”
Soler said the district would be able to host training sessions at the new registration site that would be able to run during school days that would not interrupt the district’s operations.
School board member Vivian Parsons asked the superintendent during the meeting if the lease or purchase of the OrthoNY site would affect the district’s 2023-2024 school budget.
“We believe we can absorb it,” Soler responded. “We would build in the cost. So if we leased it, that lease would either have to be a set number of years that we would put out to the voters and it would have a cost. But we’re probably talking about $200,000 to $300,000 [per year] at most for potentially a lease.”
Soler told the board that a purchase price for the building could be in the range of $2.9 million.
A referendum on the matter would be separate from the district’s planned $300 million capital project proposal for districtwide infrastructure upgrades.
Soler told the board that a lease agreement would allow the district more flexibility if an economic downturn forces the district to lower its annual budget.
“A lease gives us the opportunity if say there’s a bad day and the budget isn’t what it is, you’re able to walk away from the lease,” he said.
Soler informed the board that the district has had conversations with the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese regarding its lease on W.C. Keane Elementary School.
The district has leased the property from the diocese for the past decade at a cost of approximately $250,000 per year.
“Our recommendation to the board will be to lease it for an additional two more years,” Soler told the board. “This will allow us to reassess things, along with starting some of the construction in our Schenectady Revitalization Plan. The diocese is willing to use those two years of the lease to go towards the purchase of the price of the building.”
Soler said that if the district decides to move forward with the OrthoNY or Keane lease proposals they would appear for public votes alongside the district’s proposed school budget on May 16.
Soler said that establishing the community center downtown would allow parents to access the site via public transportation.
“It would be a one-stop shop for families,” he said. “It would be available for them not only during school days, but we’d love to have extended hours.”
Soler said the former OrthoNY site would require minimal work for its purposes, with the building already outfitted with a reception area, office suites and conference rooms.
GAZETTE COVERAGE
Ensure access to everything we do, today and every day, check out our subscribe page at DailyGazette.com/SubscribeMore from The Daily Gazette:
UAlbany exacts some revenge, tops Vermont in women's lacrosse
Soures collects 200th career point, rallies Siena women's lacrosse past Iona in MAAC opener
Siena can't hang onto lead, falls to LIU in men's lacrosse
UAlbany hurt by slow start in men's lacrosse loss to Vermont
Saratoga Springs parents say racism is rampant in district
Categories: Email Newsletter, News, Schenectady, Schenectady County
