Baldwin UFSD superintendent updates board on facilities work, high school wellness center

Superintendent (name not specified in the transcript) told the Baldwin Union Free School District Board of Education on Jan. 8, 2025, that construction has started on a Baldwin High School Health and Wellness Center and that several other facilities projects are under way or awaiting State Education Department review.

The update matters because the projects affect student health services, daily school operations and scheduled capital work funded through district bonds and grants.

Construction details and timeline: the superintendent said abatement and demolition for the high school wellness center are under way, with work being done on weekends and after hours. She told the board the district expects the facility to be completed by spring 2025 and that it will include two components dedicated to high school students: a medical clinic for urgent or routine visits and a counseling center.

Other projects reported as in progress or pending review included: a near-complete fire-alarm replacement; completion of phase 1 toilet renovations at Baldwin High School, Meadow Plaza and Steele; Lenox and Brookside bathroom work out to bid; a finished rooftop air-conditioning unit at the middle school; pavement and sidewalk repairs at the district office; and ongoing repairs to the Meadowlands High School heating and boiler plant. The superintendent said the district’s athletic complex at the high school is complete.

Pending state approvals and design timelines: several projects — including kitchen and cafeteria work at elementary schools, an electrical upgrade at the middle school, roof replacements at elementary schools, and turf-field and brick repointing at the middle school — are in design and awaiting review by the New York State Education Department. The superintendent described the approval process as time-consuming: designs typically take months, then the state can take “about 32 weeks” to return comments before work goes out to bid and begins.

Insurance and contractor constraints delayed an exterior remediation project described as "Schubert-led" work on soffits; the superintendent said increased insurance requirements for contractors have required additional negotiations. She praised facilities personnel by name: “Kudos to our… Tony DeLuca and Ross Randazzo and his staff. It's been really a very, very difficult week in that respect. And they have been working around the clock.”

No formal board decision on changes to project scope was recorded during the update; the presentation was an informational report and included references to bond-funded phases and grant-funded items. The superintendent said the district used American Rescue Plan funds to purchase classroom resources (mentioned later in the meeting during a separate presentation).

The board later moved on to an elementary literacy presentation from district staff. The superintendent’s facilities update concluded with reminders about design and state-approval timelines and ongoing work to resolve contractor insurance issues.

Looking ahead: the superintendent said the district is proceeding with the multi-phase bond work as it completes design, state review and bidding. The wellness center rollout will include enrollment communications to parents of students in grades 8–11 about accessing the high-school-only services when the center opens.