Construction expected to begin in the fall

While no dirt has been moved nor a sledge hammer yet swung, work on the Capital Project approved by Liberty Central School District voters in January is moving forward.

After speaking with administrators and staff who will be impacted by the work, a basic schedule of the work has been created. The plan was recently presented to the board of education.

Maintenance Building

The maintenance building structure for the Building and Grounds Department, which has already been approved by the state Education Department following the 2021 project vote, is expected to go to bid this summer and early fall, with construction anticipated to begin in the fall and be completed by late summer 2025.

Phase 1

The next phase will be broken into three sections, with all expected to be submitted for SED approval in July, and bidding to be in February and March 2025.

• Phase 1A will include exterior stair replacement and emergency generator replacement at the high school; interior door replacement at the middle school, and hazardous flooring abatement and replacement at the elementary school. The work at the athletics field is also in the phase. That will include the synthetic turf field installation, running track and field events upgrades, scoreboard, public address system and bleacher replacement, the addition of site and athletic lighting, sidewalk replacement, and replacement of the press box with a pre-engineered metal building. Construction of this phase is anticipated to take place spring 2025 through spring 2026.
• Phase 1B will be the boiler replacement in the Elementary School, with construction expected to take place in summer 2025.
• Phase 1C will be the installation of new emergency generators in the middle school and district office and the replacement of electrical distribution panels of the middle school. Construction of this phase is expected in summer 2026.

Phase 2

The second phase of the project will be at the elementary school, with the boiler conversion (steam to hot water) completed, gymnasium ventilation added, HVAC controls upgraded, unit ventilators installed and the wood flooring in classrooms replaced. The project is expected to be submitted for approval to the NYSED in September with bidding anticipated in May or June 2025 and construction to be completed in summer 2026.

Phase 3

The final phase will include renovations to the 300 wing and cafeteria, as well as work needed to convert the former maintenance space into the innovation lab, at the high school. The third phase will also include HVAC controls upgrades at the high school and middle school, new carbon monoxide systems in all three school buildings and the district office, new emergency lighting and repairs for the transformer and chiller at the middle school, and roof fascia repairs and gymnasium seating handrail upgrades at the elementary school. The final phase is expected to be submitted to NYSED for approval in January 2025, with bidding anticipated to follow in November and December 2025. Construction is expected to take place during the summers of 2026 and 2027.

The full capital project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

The presentation can be seen at https://go.boarddocs.com/ny/liberty/Board.nsf/files/D49JCW4C71CF/$file/CS%20Arch%20Presentation%20April%2016%2C%202024.pdf