West Seneca board reviews $82.2 million capital project, proposes pool infills and school reconfiguration

The West Seneca Central School District on Feb. 3 presented a proposed $82,200,000 capital improvement project that officials said focuses on critical building-condition and safety items and programmatic adjustments tied to a recent school reconfiguration plan.

District and consultant teams from Young and Wright Architects and Campus Construction told the board they had pared an earlier long “BCS” list—previously estimated at roughly $437 million, then $206 million—down to a prioritized scope addressing boilers, fire-alarm systems, restroom renovations, plumbing, and other end-of-life systems. “We’re prioritizing certain things,” a presenter said, adding that the current list targets items judged to be at critical risk of failure.

Why it matters: staff said the reductions aim to fund the most urgent health-and-safety work while keeping the overall project affordable. The district also framed the plan around a parallel reconfiguration of elementary schools that will shift Clinton to K–2 and Northwood to grades 3–5, changes organizers said will require furniture moves, transportation adjustments and program relocations.

Pool closures and proposed infill conversions were central to the discussion. A district official said Erie County Department of Health “shut down the East Middle School pool and the East Senior pool, because it did not meet sanitary requirements and sanitary levels.” The East Middle pool has been drained and the district does not intend to reopen it; East Senior required emergency repairs to reopen, officials said, and emergency repairs are not eligible for state aid.

As one response to aging pool infrastructure, the proposal would infill pools at East and West middle schools and convert the spaces into classrooms and related instructional spaces, while repurposing former tech rooms into a music suite and other program areas. Consultants noted accompanying building-condition tasks such as asbestos abatement, ramp replacement and HVAC/electrical work.

Site-by-site priorities included restroom renovations and pool system work at East Senior; high-voltage and plumbing repairs and a nurse’s office air-handling replacement at West Senior; traffic and circulation improvements at the Allendale/West elementary campus (including demolition of a garage to create a loop for safer pickup and drop-off); and playground, office and security vestibule renovations at Northwood in light of its new 3–5 configuration.

Board members questioned operational details including whether two proposed baseball/softball diamonds at East Senior could host simultaneous games. Presenters said the outfields would touch but boards indicated a desire to maintain on-campus athletic capacity to reduce fees and busing to town fields.

Timing and next steps: consultants outlined a schedule that would return a final scope and budget to the board in March, with the March 17 meeting identified as a target for the board to adopt a final plan and decide whether to put the proposal to a public referendum. The district plans community focus groups and evening sessions (scheduled Feb. 25–26) to show facilities and gather feedback prior to any vote.

What’s next: the board will review a final capital synopsis at upcoming March meetings and would set any referendum timeline after adoption discussion on March 17.