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Lansing High SchoolLast March Lansing School District voters approved a 'Health, Learning, and Safety' capital project to address acoustic problems in the high school and other issues at all three Lansing schools that impact health and security in the buildings.  The project has been held up while district officials waited for the New York State Education Department to give the project the green light.  That finally happened this month, barely in time to line up contractors and get the work done this summer.  That means that the high school will be closed to a myriad of programs that typically take place there.

"It is an inconvenience," says School Superintendent Stephen Grimm.  "When you're doing that much work there is a problem with utilizing the building.  The high school will essentially be shut down almost the entire summer."

Lansing Recreation Director Steve Colt says that he has been in close communication with school officials, and they have been planning for the possibility that the high school might be closed.  Colt met with High School Principal Eric Hartz, Buildings & Grounds Supervisor Glenn Fenner, Business Administrator Mary June King to talk about the possibilities for relocating summer programs. 

With the pool out of service swimming programs will have to be canceled or relocated.  That left the LCATs swim club scrambling for an alternate location.  LCATS coach Reed Dewey says the senior kids will train at Cass Park mornings, but the club is looking for a place for the larger group to train.  Colt says Recreation Department swimming will be cancelled for this summer.

But other town summer programs are being relocated around the school campus, mainly in the middle school.  Basketball camps will be held in the middle school gym and the outdoor court in Myers Park.  Cooking camp, gymnastics, band camp, drama camp, computer, and other programs will be in the middle school. 

"We hope that everything they need to do in the buildings can be done in this calendar year," Colt says.  "We don't want it to leak over and make it a two year disruption.  Then you start to lose the connection on some of the programming and it doesn't work out too well."

According to Grimm, that is the plan.  He says that he is pleased the project was approved in time for this year's construction cycle, because prices typically rise, increasing the cost of projects that drag into future years.

"We were very worried about getting notification from State Ed that the project was approved because we would have problems securing the contractors that would be able to do the work this summer," Grimm says.  "I'm very pleased to say State Ed has approved it, and we're approving the bidding process this month.  We're excited that the renovations that occur at the high school are going to effect the learning environment and health and safety around the district are going to take place this summer."

Work on the fire alarm, doors to delineate smoke zones, drainage, water pressure, and a swipe-card security system with security cameras will be done at the middle and elementary schools.  The bulk of the project, though, is slated for the high school.  The security enhancements will also be put in there, as well as major work to address the acoustic problems that make learning in the classrooms difficult.  Loud heat pumps will be replaced with induction air units, temporary walls that plague the original building will be replaced with full height insulated walls, and some flooring will be replaced.  Many lockers will be replaced, with a lot of work done on concrete and masonry.

The high school principal and office workers will be moved to the elementary school, and a Web page is planned to tell faculty, staff, and community members telling where they can be at any given time during the summer, with answers to frequently asked questions about the project and building area closings.

Grimm says the pool is expected to reopen for girls swimming on August 15th, after the pool locker rooms are redone.  But that won't be in time to save Town swimming programs this summer.  With a long history of so many different town programs in the same places on the school campus from year to year, Colt says it will be a challenge holding them this summer.

"We're just going to have to get creative and make sure there is communication amongst everybody that needs to use that building for whatever reason," he says.  "Everybody knows what is in front of us."

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