B’dale School wing may not be ready in time for classes
By CHRIS KNIGHT, Enterprise Senior Staff WriterSARANAC LAKE - The new wing of Bloomingdale Elementary School may not be ready to open in time for the start of the school year because of problems with adhesive under the floor tiles.
"It's looking more and more like we're not going to have that new wing open for school on Sept. 2," Superintendent Jerry Goldman told the Saranac Lake Central School Board on Wednesday.
Crews have been working to replace the floor of the new wing after adhesive was found to be rising up through carpet and floor tiles, making the floors sticky. The adhesive hadn't set properly when the new wing was replaced in 2006.
Engineers hired by the district conducted moisture testing earlier this summer and found levels "slightly higher than the level allowed by the adhesives."
A special sealant is being applied to the floors to keep the moisture levels down. But tests have to be performed between each application.
Goldman said they're expecting to learn the results of the latest moisture tests today. If they're good, he said, patching and tile work can begin.
But the work may not be done before Sept. 2, and Goldman expects the two fifth-grade classrooms in the new wing will have to be relocated to another part of the building for the first few days of school.
"We don't want to race through this," Goldman said. "We can't be in a hurry to put the tile down. We want to do this the right way."
Bloomingdale Principal Pat Hogan said it isn't the first time his staff have had to move children out of the new wing to other parts of the building.
"This is our third time handling things this way," he said. "The up side of that is, staff is used to this. They know how to manage us. The kids will get their instruction, and the kids will be safe."
Hogan said he's drafted letters to send to parents advising them of the problem.
Goldman said last week he didn't think the district will take any legal action against whomever may be to blame for the failure of the adhesive.
"I'm not anticipating litigation out of this," he said. "Right now, we just want to get the job done."
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School breakfast and lunch prices increase
In other business Wednesday, the board approved a 25-cent increase in the price of a school breakfast and lunch, at the recommendation of district Business Manager Mike Kilroy.
A school breakfast will increase in price from $1 to $1.25 while the cost of a lunch will increase from $2 to $2.25.
Kilroy said the district is also encouraging more parents who are eligible to apply for the free and reduced lunch program. Applications will be mailed to parents of elementary students and sent home to middle and high school students.
Tax levy approved
The school board also approved the property tax levy for the 2009-2010 school year. The school district's levy, which did not increase this year, is $17,429,364. Another $128,860 will be levied on behalf of the Saranac Lake Free Library. School tax bills will be mailed out soon.
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Contact Chris Knight at 891-2600 ext. 24 or cknight@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.
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contrary1
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08-21-09 9:50 AM
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The American Management Association had a brand new multi-level building constructed in SL, in 1993. After a few years the employees noticed, and began measuring, a crack in the stairwell. Less than ten years after this building was constructed by a well known local union contractor, they were forced to evacuate and tear it down. The stimulus is guaranteed to create a rash of bad construction, because the few remaining union companies can't hope to competently complete the workload. One company can only do so much..****petently. Just because they're good old local boys, doesn't mean you'll get the best bang for your buck. Hiding the name of the contractor, only guarantees that they get more of our tax money, and we, their victims, get more shoddy construction. I know who did the AMA building, if they did the school too, a pattern might emerge. How can the public protect itself, without objective reporting?
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1nobody
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08-20-09 3:46 PM
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It should be about time the school district hired a "clerk-of-the-works" ie a project manager to oversee their construction projects. Hiring any contractor and giving him free reign over a project is foolhardy at best. How many times do the same jobs have to be ripped apart and re-done and at whose expense?
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TLNative
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08-20-09 10:28 AM
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Is it just me or does it seem like the Saranac Lake Schools system is a magnet for sub-standard contractors and or material? You got lucky on your last trip to court, but that kind of luck doesn't last forever. I would think that these products would have aproven track record on their performance that could have been checked out. What worked great on a floor in Alabama might not be the product to use in our climate. I am not saying this is the case here but all avenues need to be looked into before some of these products are used.
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