Repairs, renovations needed in Holley school buildings, say district officials

Repairs, renovations needed in
Holley school buildings, say district officials
Public hearing planned to discuss options

Because the State Education Department requires districts submit a five-year plan for facilities improvements, officials at the Holley Central School District went through and compiled a list of "wants and needs" for its buildings.

School Superintendent Robert D'Angelo said the district looked at the middle/high school building, which was constructed in 1975, as a starting point for its wish list for improvements. "We talked to the board of education about a possible capital project and decided to look at what was needed in the building," he said. "It was determined the building could use electrical and structural improvements, new doors, updated classroom layouts, among other items - some of which were cosmetic.

On November 9, a community forum was conducted to provide the community with information on how the district came up with the plan to pursue a capital project, provide the community with financial and architectural information and solicit questions and comments. A capital improvement committee, comprised of a cross section of community members and school officials was formed to evaluate and prioritize the building condition survey, conduct visual inspections of the school and make recommendations to the school board.

Now that the information has been gathered and disseminated, district officials are holding a capital project committee meeting. "We don't have any figures attached to any project at this point," D'Angelo said. "We are still in the exploration phase and will present information to the public and let them decide whether we should move ahead, and if so, in which direction and on how large of a scale."

He said the district is in a favorable financial position when it comes to the amount of state aid it would receive for a building project. The state is also offering a Children's Education and Learning Capital Program (EXCEL) to districts as an additional way to defray construction costs on necessary projects - the funds under that program expire at the end of next year.

"Right now we know we need to make improvements to the building but we have to be financially responsible; we don't want to overburden the taxpayer but we still have to continue to meet the childrens' educational needs," he said.

It could be March 2007 before costs could be determined for a capital project but a ball park figure, which is purely abstract until final drawings and plans are finalized could be as high as $15 million and it could take several years to complete a project.

D'Angelo said he wanted to assure community members and taxpayers that at this point, there were no figures being talked about and no solid plans in place. "We are still in the exploration phases," he said.

A capital project committee meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for Monday, December 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the high school in room 145.