ROTTERDAM Officials consider district expansion BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net
Mohonasen officials heard plans for a district expansion Monday, including a move that would place half the district’s second- through fifth-grade classes into the former Draper School building. District architects pitched the plans before Mohonsen’s Board of Education and members of the administration shortly before their regular meeting. Superintendent Kathleen Spring said the plans represent a starting point, as they consider their options for a potential capital project. “This is kind of pie in the sky,” she said following the meeting. “Sort of an ‘if we could do whatever you wanted.’” Under the plan, the district’s Bradt School would be turned into space for Mohonasen’s full-day kindergarten and universal prekindergarten programs, as well as the district’s entire first-grade class. District officials are considering adding a full-day kindergarten to bring Mohonasen in step with state educational trends. Expansion plans also factor in the district acquiring the building of the former International Charter School of Schenectady off Draper Avenue. Purchasing the $7.5 million property may be possible at minimal cost if Mohonasen can apply the 95 percent of state aid granted when the former Draper School District was annexed in 1986. The Draper School building and the Pinewood Elementary School would then house the district’s second- through fifth-grade classes. One wing of the Draper School could be either demolished or mothballed until the district finds a use for the space. The project could also include plans to build a new library at the present-day Draper Middle School on the Mohonasen campus off Curry Road. Another possibility is the construction of a technology wing on the high school building. Other plans include the construction of a massive transportation facility on land abutting the state Thruway. The building would include a washing facility, plus space to house 45 full-sized buses and 15 smaller ones. Spring said the district is still in the planning stages for a capital project and has made no final decisions. She said the project will hinge on how much of it can be covered through state building aid.
The charter school pumped millions of dollars into the old Draper School to refurb the class rooms and put in a new heating system and many other improvements which they also did with help from the state.
They were digging up the old oil tanks, put in a nice blacktop driveway and parking lot. The charter school had a lot of work done throughout the school and the place looks pretty good.
You are right Shadow. They spent a bundle on this building. If the Mohonasen proposed expansion goes through...it would be a win/win situation for both the school district and the town.
I participated in a walkthrough of the school...many parts are in EXCELLENT condition. For instance, there is a brand new elevator that has been installed.
As far as "flipping, and taking a profit," that is not the case. The Charter school was shut down...they are struggling to pay their bills.
As far as "yall selling it for 200K", I (and most other board members and staff) cannot speak to that, as we were not part of that situation (( don't think I was even alive...dating myself haha). However, we need to look at what is best for the current situation. As bumblethru said, it's looking to be a Win/Win!
ROTTERDAM Mohon sees need for capital project Focus groups discuss improvements BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net
A $60 million or more capital project may come before Mohonasen Central School District voters in January, as discussed Monday by the Board of Education. Though the board still needs to OK a referendum vote, district officials are developing elements of the project they feel are necessary for district growth. The board also gave Superintendent Kathleen Spring permission to begin preliminary negotiations for the former Draper School building. Spring will await the results from two focus groups the district will host this week to discuss the capital project. Provided both groups support the purchase, Spring said she will enter into preliminary negotiations with First Niagara Bank, which assumed ownership of the building when the International Charter School of Schenectady dissolved in June. “Once these groups are done, we’ll give you that authority to negotiate,” board Chairwoman Eileen French told Spring during their meeting Monday. Under the proposal, the Draper building would be purchased and converted into classroom space for half of the district’s secondthrough fifth-grade classes, while the Pinewood Elementary school would house the other half. The Bradt School would house a fullday kindergarten class and first grade. At the high school campus, the cafeteria and classrooms near the Farnsworth Technology Center would be converted into a hightech wing. The district is also considering a renovation of the team and locker rooms near the gym. Other plans include the construction of a garage for 45 buses on land abutting the Thruway. The district is also considering the purchase of land near the Pinewood School for improved athletic fields. “There are still a lot of loose ends to tie up,” said Patrick McGrath, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. The district could receive state aid up to 95 percent. But board members expressed concern over whether the aid would be reduced when Gov. David Paterson proposes his 2009 budget in mid-December. “I worry about the danger of inaction, because it could cost us more,” said board member Nancy del Prado. District spokeswoman Adrienne Leon said focus group discussions suggest there is broad support for the purchase of the Draper building, the creation of a full-day kindergarten class and the need for an enhanced technology program. About 25 people participated in the groups, which met last week. “People were saying how could we not do this,” she said. The groups also raised concern over whether the former Draper building would be viewed as the lesser of the two elementary schools. Some suggested each district building be devoted to two full grades, so that students would attend all three before reaching middle school. McGrath said most residents might not realize the charter school did millions of dollars worth of renovations inside the building and most of the work that needs to be done is cosmetic. District officials suggested Spring arrange an open house with the bank, so that residents could see the condition of the building. “It’s not the old Draper building where the boiler is going to break down every other day,” said board member Julie Adamec.
ROTTERDAM District won’t buy Draper School Mohonasen’s plans changed BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Mohonasen administrators are no longer interested in purchasing the former Draper School, and other interest in the building has been stymied by the property’s $7.5 million price tag. Superintendent Kathleen Spring said Mohonasen is no longer talking about buying the former International Charter School of Schenectady building off Draper Avenue, which had been part of the planning for a school district capital project. She cited the economic realities of owning the building, coupled with concern about the district’s class distribution. “Draper is off the table,” she said Tuesday. The district’s Board of Education expressed interest in the property last summer and directed Spring to begin preliminary negotiations in October. Under the district’s draft proposal, the Draper building would be converted to classroom space for half of the district’s second-through-fifth-grade classes. However, some residents were cool to the idea of splitting the three classes. Many also thought the Draper School, which is in need of renovation, would be considered inferior to the other district structures. “That was a real concern for us and certainly for the community, too,” Spring said. Mohonasen officials will proceed with plans for a capital project including a new bus garage, media center at the middle school and classroom expansion to allow a full-day kindergarten program. Spring said the size and scope of the project would be dependent upon state aid. “I don’t think we can even consider a project that doesn’t get maximum state aid,” she said. Omitting the Draper School purchase from Mohonasen’s plans leaves the property’s future in question. A major factor is a multimillion-dollar mortgage still owed on the property. “We’ve had a number of calls from interested parties really thinking along the lines of redevelopment,” said Richard Ferro, a commercial sales agent with Prudential Blake-Atlantic, which is marketing the property. “But the existing debt on the building precludes that use.” As of July 2007, the charter school still owed $5.06 million on two mortgages held by First Niagara Bank, according to federal tax documents filed in May. When the charter school first purchased the property in 2005, school attorney Harold “Chip” Gordon estimated that their mortgage payments would total about $20,000 per month. The school closed in June after the SUNY Board of Trustees declined to renew its charter because of poor academic performance. Prudential Blake-Atlantic had initially hoped to close on a sale before the end of the year so that the charter school could clear some of its nearly $7 million in debt. Tracy Petersen, the president of the now-defunct charter school, seum of Dance, 99 S. Broadway, will be transformed into a Victorian ballroom tonight when “Dancing Saratogians” by dance company Tango Fusion steps off as part of First Night. The original production was designed and choreographed just for First Night thanks to a $2,500 grant from Saratoga County Arts Council. “We’ve set it in 1902,” said Johnny Martinez, Tango Fusion’s co-director. “It’s in the Grand Union Hotel. It is a dance party or a dance event featuring some of the people who were actually in Saratoga and in the Grand Union at that time,” Martinez said. Diane Lachtrupp, who designed the dance set and is co-director of the dance company with Martinez, researched period dance and the old Grand Union Hotel. Composer Victor Herbert is depicted in the dance, as well as public figures like the village president and his wife. Four couples will dance in two performances, at 7 and 8 p.m. A polka, a waltz, a tango and a quadrille will be performed. A spoken introduction and narration throughout the performance will explain the historical signifi - cance, Lachtrupp said. “I put a theatrical bent to it,” she said. The dance includes some comedy as well. “Dancing Saratogians” also will be performed as part of Tango Fusion’s spring season, Lachtrupp said. She said she was attracted to the Victorian era in Saratoga’s history. “My home is 1907 Queen Anne,” Lachtrupp said. “One of the reasons that I moved to Saratoga three and a half years ago was because of the architecture.” The opening number will show the period clothing, as a dancer starts in a corset and chemise and gets dressed in petticoats, a garter and her dress. After it’s over, the audience will be invited to learn one of the dances and help create a new piece of choreography. said there is no schedule to sell outstanding $242 water and sewer the building, other than before her debt owed on the property, which organization files its dissolution otherwise has an education exemppapers with the state. She said the tion for 2009. bank foreclosing on the property “They’re still basically exempt,” remains a consideration. said Dawn Pasquariello, Rotter-“I could foresee that happening,” dam’s receiver of taxes. she said. Cynthia Proctor, a spokeswoman Calls placed to First Niagara’s for the state’s Charter School Insticorporate offices and Gordon, the tute, said closing a school can ....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00901
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