By Holly Crocco
Administrators at the Mahopac Central School District are considering replacing the roof at Lakeview Elementary School in two years if completion of the capital project that is currently underway continues to trend underbudget.
During the Sept. 24 Mahopac School Board meeting, an update on the district’s capital project was presented by Chris Glaubitz, vice president of Tetra Tech Architects & Engineers.
“When we can come in and help a district, as we have (with MCSD) in the last eight or nine years, to support all the wonderful things your students are doing, we consider that a success, and hopefully we’ve contributed in some small part to what your students have been able to accomplish,” he said.
The district has worked with Tetra Tech since 2015, helping with the successful public referendum in 2019 that authorized a great amount of work included in the capital project, including a new synthetic turf field, STEM suite and science room renovations, a new library media center, and water system and infrastructure upgrades – among other things – all at the high school.
“We’re happy to continue to help you meet your mandates, and getting really clean water and improving the quality of your water for your students to drink,” said Glaubitz.
At the elementary schools, band rooms and science rooms have been updated, with a media center completed at Austin Road. A planetarium renovation has taken place at the middle school.
A bulk of the work – phases one and two – were items approved in the referendum. “We completed all that work,” said Glaubitz. “We got some good bids. We were able to do more work.”
The district is completing phase three of the capital project, which includes replacing the parapet at the high school. Bids are currently being received and awarded for that piece.
Currently, Glaubitz said the entire project is coming in at about $52.3 million, while $53.9 million was approved by voters, leaving about $1.5 left over – which the district could put toward replacing the roof at Lakeview Elementary School.
“The lakeview roof has bubbled up over many conversations as something that needs to be addressed, so that’s what our target is,” said Glaubitz.
Tim Stevens, project manager and architect at Tetra Tech, explained that the building, which was constructed about 1935, has a slate stone roof. Architects are proposing replacing the sloped portico, as well as the long flat centerpiece in the middle of the roof.
“That’s definitely showing signs of deterioration and starting to leak in various spots,” he said.
“That probably is the original roof that’s 90 years old, because slate does last a long time, and you haven’t replaced that roof ever,” added Glaubitz.
The slate roof would be replaced with a synthetic material that looks like real slate. “We’ve done this on a lot of historic buildings,” he said. “It will have the look of slate but is not made of stone.”
Although Lakeview Elementary is not on the state’s register of historic places, due to its age, the district will still have to undergo a regulatory review by the state’s Office of Historic Preservation for work to be completed.
Since the roof replacement project will come in at a cost greater than what is left over from the capital project budget, at a total of about $2.2 million, Glaubitz explained they are looking at ways to keep the scope of the project manageable.
Therefore, replacement of dormers and the wood on cupola, peeling paint, and rot are all things that were talked about early on in the project that won’t be included in the initial project.
“There’s definitely more work that could be done,” said Glaubitz. “We’ve made an effort to try and bring that cost down into a range we think is doable for this project.”
Added insulation, walkways and ladders to improve safety when accessing the roof are all things that will be bumped to future projects.
In addition, the district’s finance department will have to look at ways to fund the $700,000 difference between the cost of the project and the leftover funds.
Glaubitz said architects are already in the planning and preparation stage of the roof replacement project. Design would take a few months, and if the project requires approval by the State Education Department, that could take up to 30 weeks. This means, the project wouldn’t be ready to go out to bid before this coming summer, so construction would likely take place in the summer of 2026 – if it moves forward.
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