The district recently approved a State Environmental Quality Review Act Resolution for the emergency project, along with a separate emergency declaration resolution. The district’s architect for the project is Young and Wright Architectural.

Superintendent Tammy Mangus said the problem was first discovered while working on another project.

“While completing a current capital improvement project to add heated sidewalks, it was discovered that the salt used over the years to melt ice had deteriorated support beams under two of our entryways,” Mangus said. “As this was a safety hazard, we closed that section of the building and moved forward with the emergency project.”

Mangus said all impacted areas have been closed off and new support systems are in the process of being installed. Because of it being an emergency the work has already begun and is expected to be complete or nearly complete by Oct 1.

Pictured are the compromised entryways that are a part of the emergency project.

“As a result of this issue, the location of our (pre-kindergarten) classrooms needed to change,” Mangus said. “We also needed to shift the location of some of our middle and high school rooms, because the distance to emergency exits was too far due to the two doors being out of use. A plan for creating a safe and effective school opening was collaboratively created, and the teachers and staff impacted by these movements have been instrumental in ensuring that we have thought through key details and are ready on day one.”

Mangus praised the work being done by those involved at the school district. She said those involved have helped to make the emergency project something easier to handle than it could have been.

“We are a great team,” Mangus said. “I continue to be impressed by the initiative, creativity and professionalism of our Facilities Director, Todd Ames, and our Cassadaga Facilities Crew, including our summer student workers. Their hard work and attention to detail, coupled with the focus of our critical partners, including our project manager, contractors and architects, has made what could have been a mountain into a molehill.”