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School officials had hoped the Lansing High School swimming pool would be open for use before the end of the Fall athletics season.  But school officials now say they hope repairs will be completed by next summer.  Repairs were abruptly halted last year when a forensic investigation of past repairs was initiated.  School officials say they hope the investigation will be completed before the end of this month.  Meanwhile the Triad Foundation has given the school district a gift of $15,000 that will be used to provide support, transportation and alternative pools.

"They called me out of the blue and asked me about some of our struggles," says Lansing School Superintendent Chris Pettograsso.  That was one they had heard about from articles in the Lansing Star.  We got to discussing that and I thought that would be a good way to support our students and allow them to swim at the same level.  They've been excellent to work with."

The pool was closed for repairs as part of a capital project that should have been completed near the beginning of the current school year.  But repairs were halted when officials suspected that earlier repairs made in 2014 capital project may have deteriorated long before their expected life span.  School officials received a preliminary debriefing from the forensic team in November, then asked for more testing and investigation.  At that time School Business Administrator Mary June King said that the District is exploring recouping some of those costs legally, but was cautious about predicting whether that will be possible.

"I'm sure our attorneys will have lots of insight for us, and the forensic analysis is going to be critical in our ability to address that from a financial standpoint," she told the School Board last November.

Monday she reported that lab results that she had hoped would be delivered around holiday time will not likely be available until about the third week in January.  In the meantime architectural/engineering firm Tetra Tech has been developing two alternative design schemes, one using tile and one with Marcite, a soft plaster finish used in indoor pools.

"That's what we went through the last time," King said.  "We were replacing a Marcite pool.  Our official bids were for Marcite, but the alternate was for tile.  Since the prices came in low we opted for tile.  It was preferred aesthetically and it lasts a little better with various chemicals and chemical maintenance.  I have asked them to prepare similar design specs.  We'll review it with the Facilities Admin group on February 23rd.  My hope is that we will be submitting those project specs to the state Facilities Planning Group by the beginning of February."

The extended pool closing not only displaced the Girls Varsity Swimming and Diving team in the fall season, but is now forcing the Boys Varsity team to practice at alternate sites.  Additionally physical education class swimming programs have been disrupted, as well as community swim periods.

Pettograsso says the use of monetary gifts to the school district cannot be specified by the donor, so technically the money goes into the general fund.  But, subject to state restrictions, the district administration can determine how the Triad money will be used.

"However we need to use it is up to us," she says.  "So it will go into our general fund, but to support our students.  With the unforeseen costs associated with our student athletes, our swimmers having to go off site, we're going to be using it to support swimmers going to TC3 and using Ithaca High School's busing transportation and all the associated costs.  So it will be for our student athletes and swimming."

The Triad Foundation has long been a contributor to the Lansing Central School District, notably helping with funding for character education programs such as CASS (Creating A Safe School).  Headquartered near the airport in Lansing, it was founded by Roy H. Park and is run by Park, his daughter Elizabeth Park Fowler, and his son Roy H. Park, III.  Grants are awarded in Ithaca, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Tampa Florida for education, scientific research, and human services.

"We gladly appreciate their support of Lansing schools," Pettograsso says.  "They have been very connected to our schools and supporting our schools over the years.  We appreciate them and their donation."

King says that she hopes to have plans and the forensic results ready for Board approval at its next meeting on January 23rd so it can be sent to Albany for state approval.  She says that the pool repairs will be added to the current SMART capital project, which has money available to pay for it.

"Hopefully we'll have their approval by the third week of February," she told the Board Monday.  "We'll have bid documents ready to go out.  We'll have to rebid this part of the project.  That will take a couple of weeks.  Hopefully we'll have a contractor in place by the middle of March and be able to get this work done before the summer construction period starts up."

The board unanimously voted to accept the triad gift after many board members simply said, "Thank you."

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