By Paul Post
BOCES officials are eagerly awaiting groundbreaking for a $96 million campus that will increase capacity for current programs such as construction trades while making new offerings such as green energy and a standalone electrical course possible.
Plans call for three buildings totaling 290,000 square feet on 25 acres at the corner of Ballard and North roads, just off Exit 16 in Wilton. Two buildings would be for special education (grades K-6 and 7-12) and a third for career and technical classes.
The complex would replace the current Southern Adirondack and F. Donald Myers learning centers in Hudson Falls and Saratoga Springs, respectively.
A BOCES program for special education elementary students at the Sanford Street School in Glens Falls would also move to Wilton.
“Currently we tend to have a wait list for our programs,” BOCES District Superintendent Turina M. Parker said. “So we’ll be able to take more students into current programs. And some programs we’re only able to offer at one center now. All programs will be offered at the new center, so it expands our capacity to serve all 31 school districts in the five counties we serve. It expands our reach for students across the region.”
Approximately 1,275 students from Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton and Essex counties are currently enrolled in local BOCES district courses, and some from the immediate Capital District as well.
Groundbreaking on the new center is scheduled for this fall and it’s expected to start welcoming students in September 2027.
The developer is Albany-based Columbia Development Companies whose portfolio includes the Plug Power GenDrive Global Manufacturing Center in Slingerlands and two projects currently under construction, the NYOH Regional Cancer Center in Guilderland and the 4 Wellness Way Medical Office Facility in Latham.
General contractor for the BOCES center is Albany-based BBL Construction Services.
However, buildings will be owned by the Florida-based, non-profit Community Initiatives Development Corporation and leased to BOCES for $96 million for 20 years. CIDC, which procured the land and holds the lease, has been responsible for more than $900 million including affordable housing, public facilities, dormitories, assisted living facilities and educational institutions, its website says.
“At the end of the lease we’ll have first rights to all options available to us,” Parker said. “This could be negotiating a new lease or we could consider buying the buildings.”
The Hudson Falls and Saratoga Springs BOCES buildings, constructed in the early 1970s, are in need of substantial upgrades, which would cost an estimated $80 million without creating more space to better serve students, Parker said.
A new BOCES-owned building would cost $160 million, making the lease option more financially attractive, she said.
However, the estimated $96 million final costs and designs could adjust as the project progresses through planning, design and construction phases
The new center has the support of school officials from throughout the region.
“It was amazing the needs that are there to bring those (buildings) not only up to date, but sometimes up to code,” Johnsburg Superintendent Michael Markwica said.
Saratoga Springs Superintendent Michael Patton said, “A brand new facility in a central location would best serve the needs of our students as well as meeting the needs of our local school districts.”
Students in northern schools that currently attend BOCES classes in Hudson Falls would obviously have to travel farther, to Wilton.
But Parker said having all programs in one location, right off the Northway, would reduce travel times by increasing transportation route efficiencies. At present, buses take students from one school district to multiple BOCES sites depending on the program they’re enrolled in.
Some students get picked up at 7:15 a.m. and take long rides before reaching their destination, which would no longer be the case, she said.
The Hudson Falls and Saratoga Springs BOCES centers are on approximately 30 acres each. Plans call for selling both sites, which would require voter approval in a public referendum.
“We have received some preliminary inquiries, but nothing formal,” Parker said.
Glens Falls City School District owns the Sanford Street School building, which BOCES currently leases for elementary special education classes.
Area employers welcome plans for a new center as BOCES graduates quite often fill much-needed jobs that businesses need to remain successful. This is especially true for contractors and construction firms that have been plagued by a severe labor shortage in recent years.
“The demand for our program has only been growing and it’s been growing exponentially,” said Jared Davis, BOCES director of Career and Technical Education. “So we have to be responsive to that. We know that there is a gap in skilled labor in our region. We have the opportunity to expand program offerings and opportunities for students, and put more skilled workers into our regional workforce. That’s what a new center and a new building allows us to do so that we bring together what students are seeking and what our industry partners need to keep their businesses operational and our economy growing in this area.”
BOCES recently held a CTE Signing Day ceremony for 65 high school and adult students who are going directly into the workforce after signing letters of intent with dozens of area employers such as Bast Hatfield Construction, Jack Hall Plumbing & Heating and Rozell Industries.
Employers gave students tools, T-shirts and hats to show their appreciation and encouragement. Wrap Kingz, a business specializing in automotive wraps, brought a custom-made banner for Gavin Russell, a graphic arts student from Galway who is joining its team.
In recent years, BOCES’ Practical Nursing Program has joined the Signing Day celebration. This year, 18 practical nursing students have secured jobs ahead of graduation including eight who have been hired by The Pines at Glens Falls, marking a new partnership milestone.
Gretchen Steffan, director of the Saratoga Warren Washington Workforce Development Board was the event’s keynote speaker. She pointed out that CTE is building a pipeline of skilled workers for the regional economy, adding that apprenticeships and internships offer young people an opportunity to learn and grow their skills and abilities.
“You are an important part of the fabric of America,” Steffan said. “America needs skilled trades to keep America going, to keep America strong. Be positive. Be open and enthusiastic about your new role.”
With a comprehensive slate of CTE offerings, from construction trades and auto body repair to cosmetology, criminal justice studies, conservation and forestry, the new Wilton center will equip hundreds of students each year with the real-world skills that area employers desperately need.
“Each time I speak with local employers or alumni, I’m reminded just how vital CTE programs are to our region,” Davis said. “Signing day is our way of recognizing and thanking our students who are stepping in to meet that need and our business partners who support our students and our programs.”