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Work has Begun in Earnest for NF Schools

By Cynthia Bianco

Cynthia Bianco Supt. of Niagara Falls School District

At 10 a.m. on June 25, District officials will be joined by contractors, representatives of the skilled trades, and most importantly, students, as we break ground on our Inventing Tomorrow capital projects. The $67 million plan will officially get under way at Henry J. Kalfas Magnet Elementary School, which is going to receive a full service kitchen, enhanced media center and library, security improvements, new classrooms, and, like all District schools, a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) lab. Ours is the first District in the State to embark on District-wide STEM labs, which are widely seen as key to preparing students for the college experiences and jobs of the future, global economy.

STEM labs will provide for hands-on, collaborative, and independent learning in a wireless environment.

As we kick off construction, here is what the Kalfas community can expect:

Between June 24 and August 12, demolition, set up of temporary classrooms, and site utility work will take place. Starting July 25, the courtyard will be updated and full service kitchen will be built and construction of the new classroom wing will begin. This portion will conclude June 2014.

Next summer, parking lots will be enhanced and some sidewalks will be replaced, and the site will be restored and landscaping replaced. In June 2014 the pool, cafeteria and office wing renovations will be undertaken and will be completed by August 2014. The Stem lab and Media Center will be added beginning in August 2014.

All projects at Kalfas School are expected to be completed by December 2014.

Much of the community is also excited about the installation of synthetic turf on athletic fields and the construction of a field house. Here is what we anticipate for that timeline.

Work is scheduled to begin on the Stadium, Baseball Fields and Field House this month; we anticipate completion of this work by April 2014, with work on the soccer and lacrosse fields expected to follow the same timeline one year later. The tennis courts and Nicoletti Field will be addressed starting in July 2014 and completed by that July. Softball fields will be addressed in June 2014 and concluded in August.

Meanwhile, GJ Mann and Maple Avenue elementary schools will be the first to receive the STEM labs, and work will begin on those this summer.(?)

As summer begins, we again want to thank the community for its support of these projects which will provide wireless environments, prepare our students for digital State assessments, increase security, and most importantly promote Learning For All ... Whatever It Takes.

 

 

Niagara Falls Reporter - Publisher Frank Parlato Jr. www.niagarafallsreporter.com

JUN 18, 2013