School board closes in on decision to renovate 1933 building
The Fayetteville-Manlius Board of Education appears closer to approving a total interior renovation of Wellwood Middle School, while leaving the 1933 historic exterior intact.
On April 3, the board voted to accept the recommendation of the Community Facilities Task Force, which had selected the interior renovation project from among four potential options to modernize the aging school. Although the board has not yet greenlighted a referendum on the project, Monday’s action narrows the district’s focus to Wellwood’s interior. The board asked the administration to provide additional information on that option prior to making a final decision.
While other buildings and facilities within the district are being left out of the current phase of repairs, which has been of concern for some community members, the board also voted to ask the contracted firms to see if any of the other projects, such as HVAC replacement and roofing, could be bundled on a major renovation to Wellwood in a future capital project.
The task force, formed in January, is comprised of 40 local citizens to determine the best way to move forward for facility projects so the administration can create a proposal to ultimately go to a capital project referendum. According to a facilities conditions survey, repairs and updates are needed in all of the district buildings, and the task force put the priority of the projects in the following order: Wellwood Middle School, Fayetteville-Manlius High School, Enders Road Elementary and Eagle Hill Middle School.
At the April 3 meeting of the board of education, Superintendent Craig Tice presented the recommendations of the task force, which put the focus on updating Wellwood, rather than look to make repairs to all of the projects in a larger capital project.
Tice said the task force has met four times, and four options regarding the building were addressed and voted on:
•Option 1 — a “basic renovation” of HVAC, roofing and windows, among other needs, estimated to cost about $30 million.
•Option 2 — a “renovation with classroom additions” that includes option 1 projects as well as relocating the cafeteria and classrooms from the basement, estimated to cost $38 million.
•Option 3 — an “ideal educational addition/renovation” to include a complete reconfiguration of the interior while maintaining the original 1933 exterior, estimated to cost $42 million.
•Option 4 — demolition of the current building and construction of a new building, estimated to cost $50 million.
The task force voted on Option 3, Tice said, and the board of education voted to accept their recommendation, though member Elena Romano pointed out this will not be a choice that is set in stone and further review needs to be done by the school’s administration.
Tice said the future projects for other facilities could be looked at in the future, but the task force put a priority on Wellwood.
“I think breaking the projects up will give us the flexibility to see where we are in five years and what our financial situation is,” said board president Timothy Crisafulli.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Michael Vespi said the administration will move forward to work with the contracted firms to speak with school staff to determine the scope of the project, how to lessen impact to students’ education, and how it can be phased. The earliest the project could be put to a capital project referendum vote is late fall of 2017.
This story was updated at 5:07 p.m.