BCSD Capital Project Moves Forward

by Thaddeus Flint
The Goodermote-Willis Capital Improvement Project for the Berlin Central School District proceeded apace at Tuesday’s monthly School Board meeting with a four to three vote in favor of the project.
The plan is to spend close to $6.8 million on improving the many problems of both the Berlin Elementary School building as well as the Berlin Middle/High School. Both the architects of the project, School Board President Gina Goodermote and Board Member Jim Willis, and the architects on the project, C.S. Arch feel it can be accomplished using the District’s reserve funds as well as State aid and should come about with no increase in the tax levy.
Board Member Bev Stewart was the most vocal against the plan. She has always maintained that the elementary school building, which she feels has been allowed to fall into such a profound state of disrepair, cannot be saved under the constraints of the current economic situation of the District. “It’s beyond repair,” said Stewart. She was also unhappy with the way the project has come about, with only Goodermote and Willis taking it upon themselves to once and for all get something started without talking about it for a couple of years first with the rest of the Board.
Stewart also doubts that the District has the ability to actually get such a plan off the ground. “We have a difficulty with the $100,000 project, and yet we are now putting up a $7 million project?” she asked. Her doubts seemed amplified by the silence of the audience that night in response to her statements.
A group sat in the back and would applaud only whenever Board Members Frank Zwack, Willis or Goodermote said something. Board Member Rachel Finney rarely says anything. After Board Members John Nash, Alan Webster or Stewart spoke the lone sound one heard was the gurgling of a fish tank aerator. It was like someone had brought along their pack of trained seals – the sounds of factionalism.
The Board allows two sessions for public comment, but none of these adults in the group at the back felt the need to get up and give voice. As a good part of the audience was made up of students that night, it seemed outlandish to be so childish in front of the children.  Can a District of such division really find a way to come together and complete such a large scale plan?
“I have a lot of the same feelings as Bev,” stated Nash. He had doubts that the tax levy will really not go up as a result of such an expenditure. He also feels that the project is the product of only two Board Members and is not backed up with data showing the desires of all the District’s residents. “We are just telling the community this is what we are going to do, like it or not,” said Nash. “I will not support this project.”
Webster pointed out that the District’s enrollment is constantly eroding. He wondered if it was such a good idea to spend so much money on a building which is eroding as well when in the coming years there might not be enough pupils to populate it. He also found some details of the elementary school building plan rather odd. Money will be budgeted towards making that building more handicapped accessible. He had no problem with that. The entranceway will be updated and an elevator put in. Good. Doorways and bathrooms were not part of the updates. Not so good. “So you can get the handicapped in and around but not through doors, and no bathrooms for them?” he asked.
Webster’s pondering of such a bizarre arrangement seemed rather apt when it was later found that only some parts of a capital project are aidable by the State. The State of New York would probably aid proper doors and bathrooms for the handicapped, but if the District instead added on a new building to the existing structures at the High School, only the rooms would be paid for by State aid. The hallways between the rooms would not. Connecting one room to another is seemingly of no importance to the State Education Department. Such luxuries must be paid for by the locals.
Willis acknowledges that this plan, like most plans, is not perfect. But for him it’s the only plan this District can afford right now that will still provide for the students. Willis is adamant that there will be no increase to the tax levy with this project. “I don’t have any extra money myself,” he said, “I’m raising kids.”
When Finney was asked for her views on the project she said, “We have to move forward, I suppose.”
Zwack is resolute that this project take place. “They deserve a better environment,” he said of the students. He pointed out that this idea has been going around since 2004. Zwack should know since he has had a seat on that Board, more or less continuously, since the late 80s.
Goodermote finished the discussion saying, “We are going to address as many issues to get the most bang for our buck. We’ve got to crawl before we can walk. We cannot keep doing nothing.” And with that she, Zwack, Finney and Willis voted for the project, and Nash, Stewart and Webster voted against it. Without unforeseen delays, the residents might get to add their voices as well at the ballot box by December.
After all this, District Superintendant Dr. Stephen Young aptly noted that very little time is spent at Board meetings actually discussing the reason why anyone is there to begin with: the students. He proposed that a separate session be held, perhaps monthly, to do so. “We can’t move forward without having two separate sessions,” he said.
The Board then discussed a request from the Berlin Fire Commissioner to let first responders who work in the District go out and fight fires and save people’s lives and still get paid. Nobody wanted to stand in the way of that. “If my house is burning down,” said Goodermote, “I want every available man!” The problem arises in that allowing one town’s firemen to go fight fires might mean that all the towns’ firemen should be allowed. How many first responders worked in the District? Nobody knew for sure. The decision was made to allow the District’s lawyer to give an opinion before a final decision is made.
Transportation Director
The need for a Director of Transportation for the District was also discussed that night. Transportation employees have been unsupervised for almost three years now, and yet they still come to work each day – except when they don’t, as was seen last winter during a rather bad snow storm. That one time might have been too much. “It is incomprehensible to me,” said Young, “to have 35 to 40 employees without any direct supervision.” Young suggested that an interim Director be hired in the mean time. In the long term, the District could perhaps look into sharing a Director with another district. For the moment though, “We need to do something fast and act now,” stated Young. The Board requested he come back to them next month with a report detailing how many hours would be required, how much it would cost and who he might recommend.
Gay Straight Alliance
High School student Tonya Brock then petitioned the Board in an articulate speech to add the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) to the next Board meeting agenda. The GSA has been meeting for eight years at the High School and would like to be formally recognized as an official activity of the school. According to Brock, other schools in which the GSA is active have found bullying of lesbian and gay students down by 57%. “We get together and let people know we are there for them,” said Brock, “we would be a great addition.” The Board were all in favor of this, and the GSA will be giving a presentation at the next Board meeting in November.
In other school news, straight out of Grease, the High School will be holding a bonfire Friday night for homecoming, as long as the fire commissioner agrees and there is enough wood. Two trips for May were also approved, with the Middle School exploring Philadelphia and the senior class off to relax on Virginia Beach. A sizable entourage of lucky parents, E.M.Ts, lifeguards, teachers and coaches certified in CPR will travel with them to make sure they all return safe and sound. “Have fun!” said Stewart.