Improvements Continue at Ellicottville Central School
Improvements Continue at Ellicottville Central School
Upgraded drainage, security enhancements, renovated athletic fields, new parking lots and new roofing highlight ECS capital improvement project
Even without students, there’s a liveliness to Ellicottville Central School this summer.
Heavy machinery and men in hardhats mill about torn-up parking lots and taped-off entrances. The grounds are pockmarked with fresh holes and trenches housing new drainage, a final end-all to the flooding that has plagued the school over the past few years. Further up, a stone terrace accentuates a resurfaced athletic field. And a sense of urgency abounds, as faculty - and the controlled chaos of Pre-K through 12th - return for the 2021/22 school year in early September.
Poor drainage led to flooding in several rooms of the elementary wing basement while garbage cans littered a beautifully-renovated high school library, catching water from a leaking roof. The sidewalk, running the length of the building, buckled and cracked. The $8.4 million capital improvement project aims to vanquish multiple issues facing the school in one fell swoop.
“This project was to address a lot of things that over time crept up on us,” superintendent Bob Miller said. “Most of it will be completed this summer, while some will go throughout the school year and into next summer. It’s a lot of visible things that we’re excited about.”
The most noticeable from both an aesthetic and functionality standpoint are the parking lots. Undulations and potholes made driving through the school’s lots a task - including some pretty deep potholes in the elementary lot - so the entirety has been ripped out and regraded.
“Between the potholes and drainage issues, it was time to address them and do it correctly,” Miller said. “It’s always been dark in the front of the building, so we’re adding lights on both the inner and outer section of the bus loop. We’ll also add 39 new parking spaces in the front for overflow from large events we host.”
For pickup and drop off, buses line up along the front of the building. The sidewalk, which had sunk while the curb heaved, created “toe trippers” as Miller called them — creating a less than ideal situation for little kids. The steel section of the main entrance steps needed to be continually resealed.
“Once the forms are set, it won’t take long,” Miller said, regarding the sidewalk. “In the next few weeks, we should see more activity as they’re almost ready to begin paving the lot and pouring the sidewalk.”
The crux of the entire issue begins with drainage. While flooding had never become catastrophic, the school’s maintenance crews worked tirelessly when water began to seep into the building - most notably in 2018 and 2019. Those rains, much like the ones western New York has seen this July, historically haven’t happened so often.
“After the basement flooded in 2018, things like ‘This is a once-in-a-century type of rain’ were thrown around,” Miller said. “Until it happened again the next summer. We knew we had to address it.”
A major part of the problem is the school’s athletic field hadn’t been re-crowned in years. When heavy rains would come or the snowpack would melt, water from the field would form a river to the building. When there was enough water, the problems ensued. At one point, water levels reached the lower sill of the Pre-K rooms.
“When we knew we’d be digging trenches in the athletic field, the decision was made to completely renovate it and put a grass/turf hybrid down. We won’t be able to use it this season, as the grass needs a full year to root deeply. But it’s been re-crowned and accessed to new drainage to mitigate any future flooding.”
If you’ve ever been to a soccer or football game at ECS, the hill overlooking the field - which is great for spectating - also becomes a navigation nightmare after a little rain. To alleviate that, a beautiful new stone terrace has been installed which will level out the area in front of the concession stand.
Unfortunately, the new field won’t be ready for action until next season. Franklinville has graciously offered the use of its facilities for every “home” football game, but it’s “the price of progress,” Miller says.
The interior of the school is seeing as much work as its counterpart. The size of the kitchen was original, which made food preparation difficult - larger ovens meant less space to work. An entire overhaul is currently underway, adding square footage, storage and a restroom to complement new appliances. The dining area will also see a facelift with new floor and tiling.
“During our April break, we moved all of our food preparation to the Great Valley Fire Department’s kitchen and we cannot thank them enough,” Miller said. “It allowed us to seal the kitchen off for asbestos abatement while still utilizing the cafeteria. We’re hoping the new coolers will be delivered by the end of August so we can completely utilize the new space.”
Other pieces of the project include: a new roof over the high school wing; a new floor for the elementary gymnasium; flashing lights to indicate a lockdown or fire drill; updated security measures that would allow Miller to lock every door in the school from the safety of his office; new, wireless clocks that are all on the same time and much more.
The cost of the initial floods ran close to $100,000, which Miller and administration had to find in the annual budget. Once the initial plan was presented to the community, it was a relatively easy sell - by passing the capital improvement project, over half would be funded by State Building Aid. Since the updates would need to be implemented anyway after a mandatory five year architectural State inspection, the money would have had to come out of the annual budget - with local taxpayers bearing the direct brunt. Instead, tax rates increased a modest $17.76 per $100,000 assessed value.
“I’m excited for the project to be finished and the kids to come back,” Miller said. “The school is getting a facelift - on the exterior, the kitchen, the new floor in the elementary gym. It’s all being done to protect the future of the property.
BACK TO SCHOOL
The difficulty of the past year can’t be understated. While society as a whole felt the pandemic’s grips, none were more affected than students. Last year’s bussing schedule, mask mandate and hybrid model created a challenging environment from students to administration.
There is still much uncertainty. Vaccination rates have stalled and the surging Delta variant runs roughshod over a large swath of the country. But Miller’s frustration stems from the state’s lack of direction and guidance with just over a month until students come back to the building.
“If you talk to a lot of schools, we have drafts. But until the state tells us what we’re doing, we don’t have the final guidance.”
The Ellicottville BOCES has housed the school’s summer programs, like Driver’s Education and Summer Reading. It’s similar in a sense - there’s a classroom aspect, but Chris Mendell (the elementary physical education and driver’s education teacher) has tasked parents with driving time, because kids can’t be in a car together.
Administration at the school chose the state’s “summer camp rules,” which goes as follows: staff has to prove vaccination or wear a mask, while vaccinated students don’t have to wear one. If students are unvaccinated, they’re strongly encouraged to mask up but it’s not required. Everyone involved needs to provide information for contact tracing in the instance of an outbreak - which, Miller says, hasn’t happened yet.
The school will have more information in the coming weeks on two federal grants totaling around $940,000 - the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) and American Rescue Plan (ARP). The funds can be used for things like payroll, cleaning equipment, additional counselors, teachers, and supplies. While CRRSAA is a one-time payment, the money from ARP will be spread out over three years. The government will allow the school to use the CRSSA funds to help recoup what was spent out of the annual budget during the pandemic.
After last year, administration and staff have a ballpark idea of how to operate if things go back to the way they were. If not, the work is being done to ensure a safe but effective learning environment for students of all ages.
“We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves because things could change,” Miller said. “But the clock is ticking.”
For more information on the Ellicottville Central School Capital Improvement Project, head to ellicottvillecentral.com. To learn more on CRRSAA and ARP and how it affects school funding, information is available at www.ed.gov.
