Lansing school district meeting brings updates on capital project, child nutrition organization

Lansing Central School District (LCSD) has kickstarted its $16.8 million capital project, which will bring significant facilities improvements to buildings across the district. District administrators said at the Dec. 11 board of education meeting that consultants and staff have been meeting in the back-end of the year to submit plans related to the project to state regulators.

Kathryn Heath, LCSD’s assistant superintendent of business administration, presented the updates to the board, noting that the district is awaiting approval from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to move forward with the bidding process. The capital project, dubbed Building Opportunities for Branding, Capital Improvements, Athletics and Teaching (BOBCAT), was approved by voters earlier this year.

One of the projects, the nonpipeline alternative (NPA) plan for the district, is expected to cost Lansing taxpayers about $1.18 million. Some project designs were sent to NYSED on Aug. 1. 

The NPA is a project that started in 2019, when New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) requested proposals to ensure that Lansing would not be as reliant on natural gas. LCSD sent multiple proposals to NYSEG focusing on improvements to Lansing Middle School, which is close to the end of a natural gas pipeline.

“It is basically [a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)] upgrade at the middle school, with boilers, rooftop units and ventilators upgraded to be more energy efficient,” Heath said. “We are continuing planning for that.”

The design for the controls for said HVAC upgrades were sent to NYSED on Aug. 8, she added.

Tompkins Weekly reported earlier this year that the middle school is the largest user of natural gas to heat its building in the district. NYSEG is set to contribute $710,000 toward the project.

The improvements will feature two boiler replacements ($420,000), 42 classroom unit ventilators ($840,000), a rooftop unit for the auditorium ($280,000), two gymnasium rooftop units ($320,000) and a new cafeteria furnace ($25,000).

Heath also provided updates on BOBCAT, which is meant to feature improvements to the high school’s courtyard walls and windows and the district’s athletic facilities. It includes refurbishing the gymnasium floor, putting in a turf field at Sobus Field and removing and replacing the track at Sobus Field.

The roof upgrades, changes to the high school gymnasium floor and overhauls to the middle school gymnasium walls are currently in the design phase.

“We are wrapping up the design of those gyms,” Heath added. 

Heath noted that the district and construction consultants are sharing those specifications with physical education teachers and athletics coaches to make sure the designs meet their needs. The designs were sent to NYSED on Sept. 13.

“They will go out to bid next month,” Heath added, noting that the district will go through a cooperative purchasing agreement to expedite the roofing project.

Construction will start likely in March, once the bidding process is set. 

“The sooner we can start those projects, the sooner they will finish,” Heath said.

The upgrades to other athletic facilities, including a field and track replacement at Sobus Field and bathrooms near the varsity baseball field, are also underway. Heath said they are slated for completion in 2025.

Also at the meeting were members of Lansing Lunchbox, a local nutrition program that feeds children who don’t have access to safe and reliable food sources. The group was started in 2019 by Lansing Parent Teacher Organization (PTSO) members Toni Adams, Amy Frith, Linda Pasto and Susan Tabrizi, and was first called Lansing Summer Lunchbox.

Pasto was on hand at the Dec. 11 board meeting and provided updates on some of the organization’s successes.

“The PTSO supported us and gave us the ability to get food through the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, which gave us the ability to feed many more kids,” Pasto said. “At our peak we were feeding 140 kids. We started out feeding 40 that first summer.” 

More information on Lansing Lunchbox can be found on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LansingLunchbox/

Lansing at Large appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @ezvelazquez.

In brief:

The Lansing Community Blood Drive is looking for donors for its Dec. 22 event at Lansing Town Hall. The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit www.redcrossblooddrive.org.