ACCORD – The workers, trucks and detours that have long been a presence at the Rondout Valley Central Campus on Kyserike Road in Accord will soon be gone — on schedule, and on budget, says Director of Facilities and Operations, Michael Shore.

Though the grounds are still humming with a full team at work, outdoors and in, the "new" school grounds will be fully operational come the beginning of the school year. The new Science and Music (300) wing, landscaped courtyards, and especially the upgraded campus access plan are significant changes that will be in use on day one. The only remaining work anticipated, after the school year begins — again, per Mr. Shore, all according to schedule — will be on the 200 wing, the new gymnasium, and the auditorium, as well as some final finishing touches on the landscape design. The projected completion date for those final pieces is late November/early December of this year.

"What the community invested in, is exactly what they're going to see," Shore maintains.

A particular point of pride for Mr. Shore, as well as Superintendent Rosario Agostaro, is the strict adherence to budget that the district has maintained. Working closely with contractors Turner Construction, and Einhorn, Yaffee and Prescott, Mr. Shore attributes their success to detailed preparation, particularly the use of a good "constructablilty study," which identified potential obstacles well in advance.

"Keeping a close eye on the budget has been my commitment to the Board of Education, and to the community," says Agostaro, citing that his weekly review meetings with the planning team has helped to deal proactively with any issues that have arisen, and arrive at quick resolutions.

According to Shore and Agostaro, safety is the key component to all of the school's upgrades, both internally, and practically. The High School is now fitted with a full complement of state-of-the-art infrastructure, including electrical, HVAC, and fireproofing, creating not only a vastly improved level of security for students, but energy efficiency that will lead to significant long-term cost savings. The new layout is also dedicated to safety improvements for students — specifically, in separating pedestrian traffic and car traffic, and implementing single points-of-entry for school buildings.

The addition of another access road to the campus, also on Kyserike Road south of the other entrances, has allowed the district to create safer, more discernible zones. All school buses and Middle School drop-offs will use the northern entrance exclusively; that roadway loop has been widened by 30 percent to accommodate the new traffic. The new road will offer District Office, as well as visitor, staff, and student parking access.

What was once the main entrance will be exclusively for the High School; and where that road once continued alongside the playing fields, creating safety concerns, it will now be filled in with turf and walking paths known as the "Commons" area. There will be, as a result, only one public entrance to the High School, staffed by a guard who will monitor each potential visitor. To add to the efficiency of the plan, the High School Principal's office has been moved right behind the main entrance to the school. All staff will have ID swipe cards that will be necessary to get into separate staff entrances in both the Middle and High Schools.

"It's the way that a modern school should operate," says Agostaro, "and the best possible way to ensure the safety of our students."

For more information on the new site plan, visit www.rondout.k12.ny.us.