"Committed to our future; Protecting your investment" District voters approve Building Project Referendum Thank you for your support!

On Tuesday, November 13, 2007, Guilderland Central School District residents approved (YES: 1,056, NO: 706) a $26,971,500 building project referendum to renovate portions of the district’s five elementary schools; upgrade safety, security, and technology systems district wide; and relocate the district administrative offices to Guilderland High School.

The project will enable GCSD to continue to provide safe and well-maintained facilities to support student learning and achievement, and will address many of the district’s long-range needs. The plan also aims to maximize the use of $1.78 million in EXCEL Aid (a form of state aid) that the district has been awarded.

The approved building project includes the following three components:

• $17,380,900 for renovations to electrical, heating and ventilation, roofing, and communications systems at Altamont, Guilderland, Lynnwood, Pine Bush, and Westmere elementary schools.
   

• $5,710,600 devoted to technology infrastructure and program improvements as well as safety and security upgrades. This facet of the project will support technology cabling, the upgrade
  and expansion of wiring closets, network equipment, classroom equipment, security systems, surveillance cameras, and electrical improvements.
   

• $3,880,000 to relocate the district administrative offices to Guilderland High School and construct new classrooms to accommodate the change in the building configuration.

“Voter support of this project will protect the community’s investment in the district’s facilities and enhance the education of our students throughout all seven school buildings,” said Superintendent of Schools John McGuire.

What’s next?

With the passage of the recent community vote as a starting point, the next phase in the building project process is design development. In conjunction with the district’s architects, district administrators will be meeting with school staff throughout the next several months to provide input for the detailed construction drawings and plan specifications.

“Our goal is to create a plan that best meets the needs of both our students and our staff, and to ensure that the design will be functional for many years to come” said Assistant Superintendent for Business Neil Sanders.

Once a design is finalized, the plan will be sent to the State Education Department (SED) for review. Typically, this process takes anywhere from four to five months.

At this point in time, Guilderland is projecting that the SED review will be completed by the winter of 2008. The project will then be sent out to bid. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring/summer of 2009, and all renovations are expected to be complete by the fall of 2010.

To learn more about the building project, please visit the links below: