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On December 2, 2003, Bethlehem Central residents
approved a comprehensive K-12 building project proposal that resulted
from more than a year of planning involving dozens of community members
and stakeholders. This construction campaign, which in 2009 is nearing
its close-out phase – work remains at only Elsmere and Slingerlands –
has provided more classrooms and modernized school buildings so that
they are equipped to serve students well into the future. The total $93
million initiative was projected to come to a cost of $43.8 million to
local taxpayers, with state building aid paying for the rest. What
follows is an overview of what the projected was intended to
accomplish; a more detailed breakdown, with photos,
can be accessed by clicking
here.
Building Project Overview
Creating more classroom space
The building project included the addition of more classrooms than ever before – twice as many as funded in the 1995 bond issue – because the district’s K-12 student population increased steadily throughout the 1990s and into the early years of the following decade. Simply put, the schools needed more space to educate the community's young people. Nineteen straight years of increasing enrollment beginning in 1988-89 brought about 1,200 more students to Bethlehem Central today than there were at that time. The goal of the project was to provide the space and facilities that will keep Bethlehem Central’s reputation for quality education strongly intact.
Improving educational quality and bringing the schools up to date
The building project did more than just add space; it made existing facilities more functional, from specialized art and science rooms at the secondary level to dedicated special subject and remedial space at the elementary level. Through the additions and renovations planned, education in the district has been strengthened by having buildings outfitted to meet the needs of today's students. Likewise, the district’s ongoing investment in technology continued in the building project, as classrooms have been equipped with state-of-the-art educational tools and access to global resources. Also, expansion of gymnasium space and fields reinforced the district's commitment to health and physical education, as well as providing quality facilities for interscholastic athletics and community use.
Improving the safety of school campuses
Nationwide tragedies have demanded the district take proactive approach to building security. The building project called for moving the main office in many schools so that front entrances could be better monitored. It also provided the infrastructure to ensure the appropriate building doors are locked during the day to better track visitors. The project also remedied problems posed by the daily mix of students, cars and buses entering and exiting parking lots that can no longer properly handle the traffic. Other renovations and additions have added elevators and handicapped-accessible entrances and restrooms, ensuring that all community members can use them.
Protecting the community's investment in its school district buildings
The district has funded regular maintenance of building systems as part of its annual budget and in previous bond issues, e.g., repairing portions of roofs and replacing components of electrical and heating and ventilation systems as needed. However, with all district schools except the new Eagle Elementary being 50 years old or more, even routine maintenance cannot prevent all the problems that sometimes need to be addressed by a more substantial project. The building project represented the necessary investment to repair, renovate and replace aging structures and systems with newer technologies that will protect the integrity of the building infrastructures and ultimately help to keep the district’s annual maintenance budget in check. In addition, new heating systems and energy control technology included in the building project has already led to more than $1 million in cost avoidances when compared to the cost of running the previous systems.