School consolidation project starts

WATKINS GLEN—The Watkins Glen Central School District broke ground Monday, June 3, on the district consolidation project.
Renovations are being made to the elementary and high schools, located on 12th Street, to make room for the addition of the middle school students. Based on the decrease in enrollment and increase of costs over the years, the district examined consolidation as an option.
Voters approved the $24.6 million capital project in December of 2011. The project will consolidate the district’s facilities to one campus and close the existing middle school.
The site work starts June 10. Superintendent Tom Phillips previously explained construction will really get underway when school is out for the summer. Work is expected to be completed by September of 2014 and the middle school building closed in June of the same year.
Renovations include expanding a cafeteria, turning the extra pool into a gymnasium, adding classrooms, and renovating the library and district offices. The offices will be moved closer to the high school library. Work will start on the library this summer and is expected to be completed by May 13, 2014. Cafeteria renovations also start this summer and should be finished by mid-November of this year.
The school board authorized the construction bids at the last May meeting. The work came in $2.3 million under budget. As the project is underway, the board will look at how the extra funds can be used.