Schools
BOCES Seeks $19M to Upgrade Buildings, Pool
If the project is approved in a timely manner, work would begin in 2012 and be completed in 2015.
A $19 million project to upgrade and rehabilitate nine buildings and a therapeutic pool was presented by the Putnam/Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) to the Peekskill Board of Education on Tuesday.
Peekskill was the first district to receive a formal presentation on the project, which must be approved by all 18 BOCES member districts before it can proceed. The board postponed a decision until receiving additional information it requested.
Tom Higgins, BOCES assistant superintendent for administration, acknowledged that the current economic climate is far from ideal for such a project but “needs have outstripped resources.” The Yorktown-based BOCES does not have authority to levy taxes; its component districts fund its programs and projects based on a multifaceted formula that includes property wealth, number of students and state aid.
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The nine buildings are all more than 40 years old and require upgrades to meet new and current code requirements. The project includes $5.2 million for roofs and $8.7 million for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in all nine buildings, $2.95 million for the pool and $150,000 for the fire alarm and public address system in one building, plus approximately $2 million in associated costs. BOCES has $900,000 in its capital projects fund and is seeking approximately $18 million from its member districts, Higgins said.
If the project is approved in a timely manner, work would begin in 2012 and be completed in 2015.
Find out what's happening in Yorktown-Somerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The therapeutic pool serves students with multiple disabilities and youngsters on the autism spectrum. The buoyancy provided by the pool enables therapists to work more extensively with the youngsters than they could otherwise.
Besides Peekskill, member districts of Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES are Bedford, Brewster, Briarcliff, Carmel, Chappaqua, Croton-Harmon, Garrison, Haldane, Hendrick Hudson, Katonah-Lewisboro, Lakeland, Mahopac, North Salem, Ossining, Putnam Valley, Somers and Yorktown.
