Canandaigua City School District voters overwhelmingly passed the capital project plan for security enhancements in school buildings throughout the District and significant improvements to athletics/physical education facilities at the high school and middle school in a public referendum on Tuesday, December 9th. The project totals $13.38 million.

Voters were strongly in support of both propositions under consideration.

Proposition 1 passed with a vote of 2,318 in favor and 599 against. Proposition 2 also garnered over 70% support. The tally for Proposition 2 was 2,057 in favor and 847 against.

The total vote of 2,917 is 18.2% of eligible voters in the District. The turnout was 5% higher than for the May, 2014, budget vote and Board of Education election. There are currently 15,999 registered voters in the Canandaigua City School District.

The District’s construction company, Turner Construction, oversees all work. The project scope is:

• Security - Installation of door locking hardware and switches at all school buildings in the District
• Toilet Facilities – Construction of a new public, exterior-access toilet facility at the Middle School in the building's footprint.
• Academy Exhibition Field - Repair of drainage and irrigation infrastructure and installation of a new grass playing field.
• Academy Track & Field – Installation of new all-weather track and drainage infrastructure that conforms to Section V competition specifications
• Academy Tennis Courts - Repair of courts for physical education, team practice purposes and community use.
• Middle School Tennis Courts – Construction of five new courts and rebuilding of the three existing courts to accommodate competitions at Varsity/JV level as well as Middle School Physical education activities.
• Academy multi-purpose turf field - Construction of an all-weather artificial turf field below Exhibition Field on CA campus.

1. Bleachers - 1,000 seat capacity to serve new field
2. Field lighting
3. Locker Room Facility - multiple access to serve Exhibition Field and new field
4. Press Box
5. Concession Stand - centrally located to serve Exhibition Field and new field
6. Equipment Storage Facility - centrally located to serve both areas with competition and physical education equipment
7. Public Rest Rooms - available from both areas
8. North Road Access & parking Lot - Construction of new parking lot to serve the facility. The lot will be accessed from North Road.

The items above that carry an asterisk are not eligible for state aid. The District has so far taken pledges of over $1.125 million from private donors in the community to help defray the costs of non-aidable elements of the project.

The rest of the project qualifies for 73.2% state aid. It will be bonded over a 15-year period. The District will not bond the project until next year, thus the project had no impact on the 2017-2018 school operating budget proposal before voters on May 16, 2017.

On April 14, 2016, the Board of Education accepted a $50,000 donation toward the project and agreed to confer naming rights for the facility to that donor. That donor shall remain anonymous until unveiling of the name at the May, 2017 Grand Opening and dedication.

September, 2011

The Canandaigua City School District Board of Education named Solar Liberty of Buffalo, NY, as winning bidder on a solar power and education project supported by a grant from NYSERDA, the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority. Six different companies submitted bids for the project. Solar Liberty's low bid of $578,685 is more than $170,000 less than the original NYSERDA grant of $752,400.

The project, which involves installation of solar panel arrays on the roofs of three school buildings -- Canandaigua Academy, Middle School and Primary School -- will start within the next several weeks. Completion is anticipated by the end of January, 2012. There will be approximately 7,000 square feet of solar array per building. The arrays are anticipated to be capable of generating 32 kw of energy on a full solar day. The energy will be fed directly from the panels to each building’s electrical panel, reducing each building’s draw on the community electrical grid and lowering the District’s overall costs for electricity service.

The roof sections selected to carry the installation are relatively free of obstructions and offer the highest degree of southern exposure. The arrays are mounted on brackets on the roofs and are angled at approximately 30-degrees toward the sky. They do not follow the sun’s track across the sky. The panels are highly durable and designed to withstand high wind, hail and heavy snowfall. A minimal level of annual maintenance will be necessary.

The project also has a full educational component. Each building will have a kiosk for display of data and information about how the solar panels work. The data will include real-time measures of power generation, 12-month historical data, and comparisons to the power demands of various familiar appliances, such as computers and refrigerators. All the data will also be available online at any time for direct classroom instruction and research projects. Also included will be a 24-hour, real time weather station.

The solar project utilizes a NYSERDA grant that was originally awarded for a wind energy installation at Canandaigua Academy. However, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) disallowed construction of a windmill on the Academy property, citing concerns that the facility would interfere with signal acquisition for the automated FCC monitoring station located just east of the high school on North Road.

Canandaigua City School District residents rejected the $9.925 million capital project for renovations to the District’s outdoor athletic and physical education facilities by a wide margin on January 25, 2011.

The capital improvements rejected involved outdoor athletic and physical education facilities at Canandaigua Academy, Evans Field and the Middle School. The proposal included:

• CA Exhibition Field - drainage infrastructure, irrigation, and artificial turf playing surface
• CA Lower Field Area – drainage & irrigation infrastructure, relocated CA track and field venue, re-sodded grass field inside track, two re-sodded practice fields
• Evans Field – drainage infrastructure at football field and baseball infield, re-sodded football field and baseball infield, new home football bleachers and home & visitor baseball bleachers, improved parking lot, renovated locker room/field house, renovated public restrooms, enhanced safety (foul ball) fencing at baseball field
• Five new tennis courts at Middle School (total 8)

The project would have qualified for 80% state aid. It was projected to cost local taxpayers an average of $361,341 annually, to be bonded over 15 years. The annual tax bill impact for a home assessed at $100,000 was projected to be $8.

On May 18, 2010, Canandaigua City School District residents approved an $8.43 million capital project that contains renovation and repair work in areas of Electrical Systems Infrastructure, Cafeterias and Health Offices, Masonry Repair, and Paving Repair. The vote was 1,670 - 1,429 in favor of the project. Work commenced on the project in July, 2011.

History: The 2^nd Community Based Committee (CBC) on Facilities Needs was convened in July, 2008 after a public call for committee volunteers by the school district. On January 14, 2010, the CBC delivered its evaluation of district facilities needs to the Board of Education, along with a recommendation for the Board to determine whether a capital project referendum to meet those facilities needs should be scheduled in May, 2010.

The CBC identified five areas of critical concern. The CBC recommended to the Board of Education that the Board consider a capital project to address four of the areas of need as soon as possible. It recommended that the 5th area of need, outdoor Athletic Facilities, merited further study by a new committee specifically assembled for that purpose.

Electrical Systems Infrastructure

2010 Capital Project

Current State/Upgrade Rationale:

The District's electrical system is critical for many District functions: curriculum delivery through technology, security, communications, HVAC (heating, ventilation & air conditioning), and enterprise management (everyday operations). Current system deficits include:

-Almost complete lack of “fail-safe” systems

-No expansion capability remains

-Critical network hardware is beyond design and support life

-Limited video distribution capability

-Insufficient wireless capability

-Incompatible and inaccurate fire alarm systems at the Academy

-Some wiring “closets” are ill-suited to current task; contribute to system failures

2010 Capital Project Proposal: Bring systems to industry standard, including provisions for growth of capacity. Recommended improvements include the replacement of non-supported electrical backbone equipment and the addition of new equipment to support accelerating student computer usage and demand, security systems, surveillance equipment, heating and cooling controls, fire alarm systems, and phone, e-mail and internet systems. In addition, provisions for backup and system failure are included.

Estimated Cost: $3.098 million

All projected construction costs cited by the CBC are best estimates developed by the school District’s Construction Management firm, Turner Construction, working in cooperation with the district’s architectural consultant firm, Young & Wright.

Cafeterias & Health Offices

2010 Capital Project

Current State/Upgrade Rationale:
Middle School and Elementary School food service operations lack facilities and equipment to operate at peak efficiency; deliver adequate dining experience with maximum nutritional benefit. Health Office areas are inadequate for current requirements and/or crisis conditions.

• Middle School
  • Inefficient food service lines
  • At peak usage, service lines back up through dining area
  • Excessive noise
  • Inadequate storage space for refrigerated food and other supplies
• Elementary School
  • Inadequate equipment to provide high quality hot food service
  • Inefficient food service lines
• Health Offices
  • Inadequate privacy for consultation & care
  • Inadequate areas for storage, record keeping & protection of medications
  • Limited accessibility based on ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations
  • Location results in communication issues with Building Main Office (Primary School)

2010 Capital Project Proposal:

Food Service Areas – Redesign existing cafeteria/kitchen space at Middle School and Elementary School to maximize accessibility, efficiency, noise abatement, and storage capacity. Create a full service warming kitchen at Elementary School. Redesign freezer and cooler space at Middle School.

Health/Nurse Facilities – Renovate and reorganize existing health offices in the Middle School and P/E Complex to accommodate current spatial needs and new health department requirements, and improve essential (confidential) communication with building main offices.

Estimated Cost: $637,650
All projected costs cited by the CBC are best estimates developed by the school District’s Construction Management firm, Turner Construction, working in cooperation with the district’s architectural consultant firm, Young & Wright.

Masonry Repair

Current State/Upgrade Rationale: Moisture infiltration behind existing brick exterior walls has been identified at various buildings. It is most extensive at Primary/Elementary complex and Administration Center buildings, but also affects Academy to a lesser extent. Due to age of P/E buildings and Administration Center, building integrity could become compromised. Academy work is suggested as preventative.

2010 Capital Project Proposal: Masonry restoration at Primary/Elementary Complex, Administration Center and Canandaigua Academy where needed, including the addition of proper flashing and drainage (weep holes) for moisture to escape from within wall cavities and from around steel lintels.

Estimated Cost: $989,500

All projected costs cited by the CBC are best estimates developed by the school District’s Construction Management firm, Turner Construction, working in cooperation with the district’s architectural consultant firm, Young & Wright.

Paving Repair

2010 Capital Project

Current State/Upgrade Rationale: Areas of asphalt paving throughout the district are deteriorated such that short-term patching is no longer cost-effective. These areas exist, in varying degrees of disrepair, at each district facility. Areas of highest need include the lower parking lot and drives at Primary/Elementary School, entrance (adjacent to Administration Building) of Primary School bus loop, Middle School parking and roadway areas.

2010 Capital Project Proposal: Utilize full-depth pavement replacement in order to solve underlying issues which cause deterioration.

Estimated Cost: $919,680

All projected costs cited by the CBC are best estimates developed by the school District’s Construction Management firm, Turner Construction, working in cooperation with the district’s architectural consultant firm, Young & Wright.

Athletic Facilities

CBC Recommendation - January 14, 2010

Current State: The CBC determined that there are serious and pressing needs regarding athletic facilities at both Canandaigua Academy and Evans Field. Failed drainage structures beneath Exhibition Field and the track have caused significant safety and playability issues for both the track and the field. The Academy's tennis courts have been patched many times, but suffer damage from the same underlying poor drainage. Evans Field facilities range from adequate to substandard. The baseball field is quite good, the football field needs major leveling repair. The buildings are substandard. The structural integrity of Baker Field House is compromised.

CBC Proposal: Due to two major factors, the emotional resonance of the Evans Field location to the community and the fact that expenditures at the Evans Field location are not eligible for state building aid, the CBC recommended that a separate, community stakeholder-based study group be established to delve into the Athletic Facilities issue (including the Evans Field facilities) in exhaustive detail, and be tasked to make a report to the Board in late Summer/early Fall, 2010.

Thus, Athletics Facilities improvements are not part of the CBC's recommendation for capital improvement at this time.

When approved by voters in May, 2008, the plan for the 2008 Capital Project was for:

• Roof replacement at CA, Middle School, Link, four rooms on Primary west wing, and Administration building.
• 25 window replacements in worst repair at various buildings, and 10 doors.
• Replacement of several skylights at CA, Middle School and Primary/Elem Link.

Due to significantly lower bids than expected (because of the economic downturn) and careful management of the project, the project was able to deliver:

• 30-year warranty roofs for all buildings in lieu of the standard 20-year warranty.
• Replacement of 900 substandard windows and 30 doors across the district.
• Three additional large skylight replacements at the Academy.
• Replacement of the translucent wall panels at the Academy.
• Re-glazing of the clear story glass (small skylights) at the Academy.
• Installation of new walls, windows and doors to create a secure entrance lobby at Canandaigua Academy (at right).
• Support for a portion of the cost for new security upgrades, including access control for all buildings and security camera installation in all of the buildings with updated computer support. Note: The remainder of the funding for this portion of work will come from remaining funds from the past construction project.