Synthesis LLP hired to prioritize needed school projects
Leaking roofs, crumbling masonry found in Schenectady

Schenectady. Synthesis LLP has been retained by the Schenectady School District to prioritize needed projects in the district and provide cost estimates.

In Hamilton Elementary School, a corridor floor is patched with planks of varnished plywood. Students at King Magnet Elementary School eat lunch at makeshift cafeterias throughout the building. And everywhere, the roofs are leaking, windows are rotting and masonry is crumbling apart.

But the good news, says John Senisi, AIA, a Principal of the firm Synthesis LLP, is that Schenectady City School District’s aging schools were well built and can be repaired.

“These are good buildings. They’re assets to their neighborhood, architectural assets. But they need to be maintained,” Senisi said.

Howe Elementary School

At the most recent buildings and grounds committee meeting, Synthesis presented its findings in the district’s elementary schools. At an October 29 meeting, the firm will present findings in the middle schools and high schools. A location and time for the meeting have not been set.

The report on the elementary school includes eleven pages of photographs of water damage, cluttered storage spaces, and makeshift bus and parent pick-up stops.

Senisi said roofs are clearly the largest concern.

“The roofs need to be redone…except for the recently installed roofs, generally most of the roofs are so old they need replacing,” Senisi said.

As Synthesis prepares cost estimates for the roofs, the firm will also create building standards for the district to follow in future repair and replacement projects.

Senisi said the district has typically replaced and repaired roofs piecemeal, leaving the district with a hodgepodge of different types of roofs of different ages and conditions. The lack of planning makes it harder for the district to keep track of repair schedules and warranty information. Another priority in most buildings is cleaning and repairing masonry. High above Hamilton’s plywood patched floors, the building’s brick and stone parapet walls have deteriorated to the point where they are allowing water into the building.

At Elmer Avenue Elementary School, the shady north side of the building doesn’t dry out properly. The architects recommend installing a gutter system and cleaning and re-pointing the masonry walls.

Once the roofs are repaired, Senisi said, the district can address interior problems caused by water damage, like crumbling plaster ceilings at Lincoln Elementary School, bubbling paint at Howe magnet school, and rotting fascia and soffits at Paige.

Synthesis will also prepare proposals for better bus and parent pickup areas in some schools. At Van Corlaer Elementary School, students are picked up on city streets. But the firm noted that the school grounds are large enough to accommodate on off-street pickup area. Synthesis will also likely design a new site plan for Elmer, where cars, buses, and students mingle too closely together near busy Eastern Avenue.

The next step, said Senisi, will be to prioritize the projects and create a budget. The budget will be laid out with a separate line item for each school and each item within a school. The buildings and grounds committee can then consider each project separately.