Kendall school celebrates start of major construction project

Photos by Tom Rivers

KENDALL – Members of the Kendall Board of Education are pictured with district superintendent Julie Christensen, third from left, this evening behind the existing cafeteria, where a new one will be built.

The board members include, from left: Martin Goodenbery, Vice President Chris Gerken, President Nadine Hanlon, Chaley Swift and Charles Patt.

This rendering from SWBR Architects shows how the new cafeteria will look. Contractors will get started on the cafeteria on Oct. 27. That project is scheduled to be ready in time for the 2015-16 school year.

District Superintendent Julie Christensen outlines the capital project before a ground-breaking celebration this evening.

Both the elementary school and junior-senior high school buildings will be “ripped apart” next summer for an array of improvements, Christensen said.

The project includes new roofs for both school buildings, as well as energy efficient improvements, heating and ventilation work, and updated security measures. Both sites will also see improvements to parking lots and sidewalks.

The junior-senior high school was built in 1971 in an “open classroom” model that didn’t include contained classrooms. The school includes partitions to try to reduce noise and hallway distractions. The capital project would give all the classrooms four walls and their own door.

This rendering from SWBR Architects shows how the junior-senior high school will look after renovations. The top left picture shows the existing school.

The Board of Education last month approved about $16 million in construction bids. Turner Construction of Buffalo will serve as construction manager for the project, overseeing seven different contracts.

The following are low bidders for the project:

General trades – Allied Builders, Inc. of Brockport for $4,987,000.
Roofing – Elmer W. Davis of Rochester for $5,782,177.
Drywall – Accurate Acoustical Corp. of Victor for $1,144,000.
Plumbing – Michael A. Ferrauilo Plumbing & Heating of Rochester for $468,000.
HVAC – Landry Mechanical Contractors of Le Roy for $2,253,500.
Electrical – Kaplan-Schmidt Electric of Rochester for $1,189,000.
Controls – Trane of Rochester for $592,756.

Christensen addresses community members inside the cafeteria during a ground-breaking celebration. Board of Education members are pictured next to her, including from left: Nadine Hanlon, Chris Gerken, Charles Patt, Chaley Swift and Martin Goodenbery.

Hanlon thanked the community for its support, including approving the $25 million capital project in May 2013. The project will result in a better learning environment for students and teachers, while also making the buildings much more secure, she said.

“It’s so exciting for our school district and for our community,” Hanlon said. “The school is the community hub for Kendall.”

Kendall school adminsitrators pose with the ceremonial ground-breaking shovels. They include, from left: Elementary Principal Sharon Smith, District Superintendent Julie Christensen and High School Principal Carol D’Agostino, who was in Kendall’s first class in the open classrooms when the school opened about four decades ago.