The Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District is poised to break ground on a capital project that will improve energy efficiencies, modernize instructional spaces and improve health and security measures.
In December 2019, district residents approved a $33 million capital project that includes work across the district. The bulk of the 18-month project will be focused on J-D Middle School, much of which is original construction from when the school was built in 1967. In 2005, the district added a fifth-grade wing, which is not included in the renovation work.
“This is going to be a really exciting project,” Superintendent Peter Smith said. “We will be matching the middle school’s physical space to our instructional objectives, which will ultimately benefit our students.”
The middle school upgrades include energy efficient lighting and windows throughout the building. Classrooms will be gutted and updated, and the classroom layout of the building will be reconfigured to group like areas together, such as the technology classrooms.
Bathrooms will be updated, and moveable walls will be installed in some areas so the spaces can be changed to accommodate small and large groups. Student locker rooms and the library media center will be renovated and updated, the pool will receive a small mechanical upgrade and some solar panels will be installed on the roof.
Site work is scheduled to begin around June 28 and anticipated to be completed during summer 2021. This work will include a major renovation to the bus loop that will result in significantly more parking for after-school and evening events. Interior work is scheduled to begin around the same time and to be completed around December 2022.
During the summer, work will be done during the day; however, when school is in session, there may be times when interior work is done after school and into the evening. The district has already reached out to neighbors so they are aware there will be work taking place outside the building this summer.
“We want to be a good neighbor, and so we will do our best to minimize the impact on the surrounding neighborhood regarding traffic, lighting and sound,” Smith said.
In 2019, voters also approved the district entering into an Energy Performance Contract with Day Automation to further reduce the district’s energy consumption and realize savings on utility bills. Energy performance contracting is a financing technique that uses cost savings from reduced energy consumption to repay the cost of installing energy conservation measures. Energy efficiency improvements that are part of this project include lighting, controls and boilers.
Other improvements scheduled to take place across the district include the following:
Jamesville-DeWitt High School
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A complete renovation of one of the high school wings, resulting in a new STEAM space
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Select classroom renovations
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Broadcast, media and studio renovations
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Select roof replacements
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Site improvements, including additional parking at Lyndon Fields
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LED lighting
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Boiler replacements
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Solar panel installation
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Building energy management system improvements
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HVAC, electrical and plumbing improvements
Jamesville Elementary School
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Gymnasium renovation
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Public toilet rooms (to be accessed when events are held in the gymnasium)
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LED lighting
Moses DeWitt Elementary School
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Reconfigure the existing entrance and main office suite to create a secure point of entry into the school facility
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LED lighting
Tecumseh Elementary School
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LED lighting
Bus Garage
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LED lighting
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Site improvements (pavement repair)