Hearing On BCS Capital Plan Draws Few

by David Flint
A week before residents will be voting on whether to spend $6.8 million to fix up two school buildings in the Berlin Central School District, it was surprising that so few turned out on December 5 for a public hearing on the project. Only a handful showed up earlier in the evening to hear Schools Superintendent Dr. Stephen Young speak at the last of four town meetings, this one at the high school in Cherry Plain. Young scheduled the meetings to introduce himself, to talk about his views on 21st century learning and to present information about the proposed construction bond. A few more people appeared at the 8:30 pm public hearing, but the auditorium was largely empty. Had people attended the previous meetings and made up their minds, or were they somehow still unaware of the building project? Julie Harrell, a parent and former School Board member, said that one of her objections to the project was that it had been so little publicized. Responding to a question on this, Dr. Young pointed out that it has been on the District’s website (berlincentral.org), was one of the topics at the four town meetings and details were being sent out prior to the vote in a mailing to all District residents. There have also been reports about it in the Eastwick Press since September and at least one article appeared in The Record newspaper.
The basics of the bond vote are to spend $3.95 million on improvements at the Berlin Elementary School. This would include replacing windows and doors, some masonry restoration, reconstructing the main portico and repairs to the flat roofs. Inside the building an elevator would be added along with handicapped accessible bathrooms. There would be lead and asbestos abatement and upgrading of electrical systems as well as replacement of ventilation and heating systems including a new boiler. Another $2.88 million would be spent at the Middle School/High School to include masonry restoration, storm water management, roofing replacement and repair, heating and ventilation work  including a new boiler, automatic gas shutoff in the science rooms, additional smoke detectors, upgrading emergency lighting and electric panels and removing the stage in the cafeteria. About 25% of the total $6.8 million would come from the District’s Capital Reserve Fund, leaving about $125,000 in that fund. The rest would come from State Building Aid. Under current legislation, the aid, according to one of the architects from CS Arch, is locked in at the time the voters approve the project.
Harrell appeared to be leading the opposition to the project but was supported by at least one other speaker. Harrell said she did not support closing the Berlin Elementary School building. Aside from what she considered the lack of publicity – not everyone, she said, has access to the internet – she was concerned, too, about how it came about as the initiative of just two School Board members rather than by collaboration of the entire Board. But she felt, more importantly, that the information from the 2010 Building Condition Survey done by CS Arch, although available on the District’s website, should be made more readily available to the public. That survey listed systems and components at both school buildings that were considered unsatisfactory or had a useful life of five years or less. The estimated cost for fixing everything at both schools was $10 million at minimum and up to $13 million with all recommendations included. Harrell said that people should have this information so that they could make a judgment as to whether or not the proposed bond project would cover the most important things. She suggested that the vote should be postponed but if not she urged that the survey information be sent out to voters along with the project information prior to the vote. Harrell believed that the “band-aid” approach of the proposed project, that “will wipe us out in the piggy bank,” did not cover some major needs indicated by the survey. For example, replacing the water system at BES, said to be beyond service life, does not appear in the project. She was concerned that the District would end up $5 million in debt, praying that the State would pay us back and with little in reserves to handle other systems that are likely to start breaking down. The District would then have to go further into debt a little bit down the road.
Others in the audience objected to Harrell’s stance saying that the District had been trying for many years to get something done. “If we keep saying no, it won’t be done.” They thought that the project may not be 100%, but it would get some important needed work done. The price goes up, they said, as the work gets put off.
Atsushi Akera of Grafton asked about the relative costs of restoring BES to a “good state” versus new construction. A CS Arch architect responded that complete restoration to 21st century standards would run 8 to 10 million dollars. New construction of the same square footage would cost about $12 million. Asked about doing it in phases, he said that State aid would be limited because it would depend on the number of students served in any one phase.
Akera suggested that the Board, having committed to a single elementary school site, might want to become more proactive in looking for ways to support all of the diverse needs across the District. They might consider measures that would be helpful to residents in the outlying towns, i.e. Stephentown and Grafton, such as expanded after school programs and creative programs for potential honors students, maybe an afternoon science or research program involving Grafton Lakes State Park. They might also, he said, look into other options, working with the County for example to possibly use the Grafton Senior Center for afternoon programs or the Town of Petersburgh to use the Veterans Hall. Young responded, “Philosophically that’s the direction I want to take the District in terms of creativity and innovation and creative coursework for all levels of students.” He said he would be discussing some of these ideas at a curriculum meeting in the coming week.