BERNE — On Monday, the school board here learned of the latest plans for a $20 million capital project, including creating more open space on campus, bringing the design of the elementary school back to its “glory days,” and creating a “plaza-type space” for the entrance to the secondary school.

The project, funded by a bond and state aid, was approved by voters in November and is scheduled to be submitted to the New York State Department of Education in January 2019, said James Graham, the principal architect for the firm overseeing the project, Synthesis Architects.

Graham said that the submission for state aid in January was preferred over May or June because it could be followed by a “deep winter bid,” in order to “optimize dollars,” as companies were inundated with bids for construction projects over the spring and summer.

“It was not a desirable situation,” he said, of bidding in May

Graham said that construction is expected to begin in June 2019 and continue through the summer of 2020.

Graham said the redesign would soften the schools, adding natural light and green spaces, painting brighter colors, and recalling a design of the elementary school before changes were made in the 1980s.

“So, what we want to do is re-establish it kind of to its glory days,” said Graham, of the elementary school. “It’s glory days included a nice addition in the ’50s,” he said.

He said that teachers at the elementary school have a “desire for open space,” which is shown in designs featuring green spaces outdoors for learning as well as a “STEAM lab,” for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Other new spaces include a laptop lab, an “independent space … that students could own,” and a “plaza-type space” that would serve as an entryway for the secondary school auditorium.

The cafeteria windows, which were filled in during the 1980s to conserve energy, will be restored to let in more natural light, said Graham. The cafeteria will also have features to reduce noise as well as round tables, he said, and the room will be able to serve other functions as for presentations.

Board members and residents in the gallery were especially concerned with security for the school, and asked about the use of bullet-proof glass. Graham said that only a few windows will have bullet-proof glass, and these are windows near entry points.

In addition, the main office will be brought to the front of the secondary school building for added security, he said.

Other business

In addition, the board also:

— Commended the school’s Future Farmers of America chapter and local 4-H groups that hosted booths at the Altamont Fair last week. The FFA won best display in agriculture in Altamont, and will be attending the New York State Fair next week.

The fair’s manager, Amy Anderson, commended the FFA as well, and also thanked the school for lending buses to transport fairgoers, the costs of which would be covered by the fair, she said;

— Reviewed a presentation on this summer’s “STEAM Camp.” Students participated in activities on the environment, robotics, and ventured on a ropes swing course at Thacher Park;

— Reviewed a presentation from the elementary school principal, Annette Landry, on students’ reading levels using the Fountas & Pinnell system, which demonstrated students’ improvement in reading over the year;

— Approved a revised policy that will now allow homeschooled children to participate in intramural sports;

— Approved increasing school lunch prices to $2.80 in the elementary school and $2.90 in the secondary school, a ten cent increase;

— Heard from Superintendent Timothy Mundell that he had been contacted by the cell phone company AT&T about possibly leasing land on the district’s property to install a cell tower;

— Postponed, for further review, combining a policy on recruiting and hiring with the district’s hiring package;

— Approved an updated code of conduct, following meetings made up of teachers, administrators, and community members who reviewed the document last month; and

— Discussed at length the district’s role in parking for students in their junior year at BKW. Last year, juniors had parked in a county-owned parking lot near the school due to parking being allotted only to seniors. The board agreed to keep parking a senior privilege but to have Mundell find out if there would be any extra spots for juniors.

Mundell said when discussing the capital project that there will be 40 to 45 additional parking spaces when renovations are complete. Lounsbury said she was concerned that the parking would be too far away from the school. Tedeschi pointed out that there will be a school resource officer to observe students and ensure they are safe.