Webutuck School renovations track to finish before school year

AMENIA — Webutuck’s $12.6 million dollar capital renovation project is well underway for students’ arrival back to campus on Sept. 3.

Despite the recent rainy weather, Webutuck’s 680 students will be able to return to a revamped campus. The construction is being managed by Palombo Group of Poughkeepsie. Preliminary work began over a year ago, with district voters approving the project in 2022, and the New York State Education Department reviewing and approving soon after, Roy Castellani, the superintendent of schools at the Webutuck Central Schools District said. Construction started on June 27, the day after the class of 2024’s graduation.

Though the project is expansive, taxes will remain the same, Webutuck’s business administrator Robert Farrier said. “We were able to fund this with a loan bond ban for the $12.5 million but it replaces our old debt, so taxpayers will not see any new additional tax debt because of this,” Farrier said.

Following a state mandated building condition survey, taken every five years, the school’s administration and facilities committee as well as a team of contractors and architects were able to determine what changes to initiate for the Webutuck district. The survey prioritizes areas that need replacement. With this information, Webutuck Central School District was able to replace the original septic system. A generator was installed in the high school and the sidewalks in the front of the building have been repaved. New roofs and upgraded HVAC have been installed in the high school, intermediate, and elementary schools. The elementary school received new air conditioning as the campus hosts summer school. After that, Farrier said the school has approval to use some of its savings to add air conditioning to the high school building next summer.

Half of the new panels and LED lights have been installed so far in the high school gym’s remodel. Below, rain temporarilJosie Duggan

Additionally, the gym ceiling has been redone in the high school, including the installation of LED lights. The renovations inside the high school, intermediate, and elementary schools are highly anticipated and a long time coming for the Webutuck Central School district.

On the exterior, the once-cracked tennis courts have been transformed. They can now function as all-purpose courts, including pickleball and basketball courts. The net can be removed in order to accommodate a soccer pitch and kickball. The physical education classes will benefit immensely from this transformation. Lastly, the intermediate school can install a playground. The playground has “ninja-style components,” which the administration anticipates the students enjoying for years to come.