Elementary school repairs getting off the ground

PINE PLAINS — At the Board of Education (BOE) meeting on June 17, Assistant Superintendent Michael Goldbeck reported on the “kickoff†for capital construction and masonry repairs to Seymour Smith Elementary School.

District voters approved the nearly $4 million project last month, after it was voted down the previous year and emergency repairs were made at the beginning of the 2008-09 school year.

Goldbeck reported that he met with many of the contact people involved in the project on June 11, who have constructed a tentative schedule, which he presented to the board.

Investigative planning to develop basic plans and specifications will last about a month. Two to three months will then be needed to elaborate on those plans and produce detailed plans that can be submitted to the state’s Department of Education, hopefully by early November of this year.

If the state decides to fast-track the project by considering it emergency repairs, bids could go out after four weeks in a best case scenario. In the worst case scenario it could take four months.

Goldbeck said that the bidding process could begin by December of this year, or as late as March 2010. Early March would be the earliest date for initial construction, which Goldbeck called “crucial because we might be able to get most of the work done by the opening of school in fall of 2010.† However everything hinges on the state’s approval of the plans and specifications, and construction could be held until June of 2010.

“I’m very pleased with the team we have in place to get the project done,†Goldbeck assured the Board of Education.

Report of board and district goals

District Superintendent Linda Kaumeyer also presented the board with a report of the board’s goals that were established last summer.

Kaumeyer outlined the district’s progress under different categories, including student achievement, academic performance and communication between the district and the community.

Among her examples were the increase in use of the district’s Web site, ppcsd.org, the recruitment of a new high school principal, Tara Horst, and improved attendance at this year’s budget workshops.

“I enjoy these [presentations] because it reminds us of the progress we’ve made,†said Board of Education President Helene McQuade.

Board member’s last meeting

As Kaumeyer pointed out at the start of the meeting, this was the last meeting for BOE member Mary Zayas, who decided not to run for the Board of Education for a second term.

A letter was given to Zayas, and as is tradition for the district, a hardcover book was purchased and donated in her name to the Seymour Smith library.

McQuade remembered Zayas’ audience participation pre-election, saying “she always had something positive to say.†McQuade thanked Zayas for her three years of “dedicated service,†calling her a “positive force†on the board.

Zayas said the book, “Backyard Pets,†by Carol Amato, couldn’t have been a better choice, and that she would continue to attend board meetings into the future.

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