Last October a group of 32 volunteers - made up of community members and school district faculty members - were brought together with the help of Assistant Superintendent John Lorentz, and teamed up with Thomas Group architects to review the current status of district facilities and buildings and to establish priorities for building renovations and repairs.

After over a dozen meetings, Lorentz announced at the Jan. 14 board meeting that the Districtwide Facilities Advisory Committee (DFAC) is preparing to present its recommended plan of action to the board of education for review within the next two months.

This plan will include, by priority, exactly what the group will deem in need of reparation after having reviewed a primary proposal draft made by The Thomas Group - who had been selected after the district sent out various request for proposal's (RFP's) - and having participated in several site visits to all of the district's schools. Lorentz described the visits as a "show and tell" of all the facilities, including building attics, parking lots and classrooms.

Bill Wisbauer, senior principal of The Thomas Group and the partner in charge of the facilities assessment project, said that before a committee was even set up by the district, his group spent several months evaluating building conditions and preparing their study, which would serve as a guide for the future DFAC. Wisbauer said that many of the items that took precedence did so for their long-term good and to bring various conditions up to current code. He added that not only are facilities assessments a yearly New York State requirement, but that the district was also looking to come up with a five-year capital projection plan to prevent potential problems that may take years to surface.

Presently, Lorentz said that building boiler systems, lighting and heating, windows, classroom floors and the high school pool renovations, in no particular order, are of highest priority. Repairs and renovations could cost anywhere from $40 to $50 million, he said, not including the $7,500 being paid to hire The Thomas Group, which was previously budgeted for.

If the proposal should be accepted by the board come February, it will then be presented to the community to be voted on for funding. Lorentz also said that portions of the proposal can possibly be worked into the budget.

When Lorentz presented the DFAC's status report to the board on Jan. 14, he said that the group was still meeting three more times to re-discuss the proposal and to define the scope of work involved, and that thus far, he is "very pleased with the [committee's] work."