Archive: News

Tuesday was moving day in the first phase of relocating the Lansing Central School District Office from a ramshackle house that was once a bar to a new space in the elementary school.  Superintendent Stephen Grimm and secretary Jodie Rusaw relocated to the new space this week, to be followed by five business office employees in October.  For the past decade the plan was to include new offices in capital projects.  The offices were then cut from projects, or whole projects simply didn't pass.

Grimm says that he was able to succeed where other superintendents have failed because of the timing and the way the project has been budgeted.  Grimm says that dropping enrollment numbers freed up enough classroom space to make the move feasible, and he credits Building and Grounds Supervisor Glenn Fenner for being able to design it and then build it on a shoestring budget.  "It all made sense," Grimm says.  "It wasn't how can we do this -- it was more like how can we not do this?"


"It was all part of the picture," Grimm says.  "We had knowledge of this when we presented the budget.  We wanted to make sure right from the start when I became very aware of the physical hazard that building presented to the employees.  It was something that I knew was a top priority.  Health and safety move it right to the top of the list and when we have employees who work there on a daily basis and we're not really quite sure what we're being exposed to up there, there is no reason to take any chances."


Funding for the project comes from money saved from things that were budgeted for, but turn out not to be needed.  The bulk of the savings come from a compressor that was part of a remedy for suspected ground contamination near the bus garage from many years ago.  While more testing has yet to be done, it has been determined that pumping the air into the ground and then back out is not doing anything.  That will mean about $8,000 saved.

The rest of the money comes from the savings that will be realized by not using the old district office building as a workplace.  $4,000 per year will be saved  by not renting a large trailer that has been used to store records.  The active records will be stored in the new business office, and archival ones will go into the old district office building.  One office will also be retained there for an auditor to use one a year, although Grimm says there may be room for the auditor in the new space.

"We feel comfortable that with $15,000 we can easily manage it," Grimm says.  "The big thing is that you have to plan within a budget," Grimm says.  "We felt comfortable that we had recovered enough to do most of that, plus the annual savings on the utilities of that building (and the trailer).  When the people move out at the end of October we can turn the heat down to 50 degrees, so we're probably going to save another $3,000 in utilities in that building alone.  We're breaking even after one year, which is remarkable."


"We are so fortunate to have is Glenn Fenner and all of the people who are working under his leadership," Grimm says.  "Their abilities, and Glenn specifically with his design capabilities -- they did all of this.  They ordered the raw supplies and they put it together.  It went from his mind into reality with tremendous savings for the district, and a good, healthy situation for our employees."

Furniture expenditures were minimal, including four chairs for a small conference table, some metal bookshelves, and a new desk for the Superintendent's secretary Jodie Rusaw, because her old desk didn't fit properly in the new space.  Grimm says that there is a plan to relace other ancient furniture over years, but all within the boundaries of savings realized by being in the school rather than in a separate building.

The new offices will provide some room for modest growth, and there are other areas in the elementary and middle schools that could be reconfigured.  "One of the things we are currently examining is the capacity of the school business office," Grimm says.  "I'm counting on (Business Administrator Mary June King's) analysis of that.  The area of purchasing is the biggest part of that."

One of the issues that is being resolved is that of security, keeping adult activities separate from children's.  For now people visiting the Superintendent will go through the main school office and sign in as usual before going upstairs to the Superintendent's office.  When the move is complete in October an entrance will lead into the business office, where visitors will be greeted by an employee.  Visitors will be escorted across the hall to the Superintendent's office if need be.


"We're still looking at that," Grimm says.  "We want to see what our needs are first.  We have a camera that we could put there, and buzz people in (as they do for the Lansing/Groton Teacher Center next door to the new office) from inside.  There is also the idea of putting up a double door in the hallway."

The old district office was so small that when confidential conferences had to take place Grimm was ejected from his office, because it was the only adequate place in the building that had a door that could close.  Documents and supplies were stored everywhere including the small bathrooms, but a large trailer was still necessary to hold the district's records.  Aside from lack of adequate space and potential health issues, the old district office looked... well... crummy.  Grimm says that the look of a school district office is important in portraying a professional district.


"I think it's very important," he says.  "How you present yourself, whether that's through your people and what they're wearing, or the physical presentation of anything, including the space, says a lot about the people that inhabit it.  This office says something different than the office in what my son calls 'the little house.'  I think there is also a psychological disconnect when the district office is in a separate location.  Now we're in the school.  We're with children.  There are things that I will see that I wouldn't have seen that I think will be very beneficial to students, teachers and administrators, especially in this building.  I'll be more aware of the difficulties that they're facing."

On top of that, his new window overlooking the campus literally affords a panoramic view of his responsibility as a superintendent.  "I can see all four buildings, including the transportation building," he says.  "It's a visual piece to truly understand what's happening here.  Looking at your responsibilities reminds you of why you're here.  When you stand in the perch here and look out over the district there is a sense of pride."

Grimm says he is pleased at how district staff from the technology department to the buildings and grounds crew to building custodians have rallied to make the project happen with so little expenditure.  A few years ago estimates ran to about $100,000 for a district office in the high school as part of a capital project, making this $15,000 project a real bargain.

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