BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- Planning is underway for the Massena Central School District's next capital project, with officials weighing in on the district's wishlist.

Among the many projects under consideration are modern sports facilities, a topic that arose during a recent board of education meeting.

Facilities Committee Chair Robert LeBlanc said he recently visited Madrid-Waddington Central School and toured the updated and modernized sports facilities the district is now utilizing.

He told board members that pickleball and tennis courts were very popular with the district as students were actively playing outdoors.

“I think we could do something and offer more as exterior sports for kids," he said.

LeBlanc said the Facilities Committee recently met with King + King Architects senior project manager Megan Vanderbrook to discuss the district's goals during a kickoff meeting.

King + King is said to have beaten out seven other firms that applied to work with the district on the next capital project, school officials said.

The hiring of King + King brings an end to the hiring process for architectural and engineering services for the next capital project.

School officials had put out a request for proposal for services on March 1 and closed the window for submissions on March 29.

The action came after the district completed a $49.6 million capital project that was overseen by Arcadis IBI Group, who has worked with the district on multiple projects.

IBI Group also assisted the district on an emergency capital outlay project to repair an underground heating line that ran from the Central Administration Building to the high school.

That project was completed in December 2023, shortly after the larger capital project was finalized.

This marks the first time since 2018 that the district has sought proposals for projects in the district.

Among the topics were the desire to include outdoor basketball courts, tennis and pickleball courts in the next capital project. A skateboard park was also on the list, he said.

LeBlanc said those discussions were productive and officials would begin looking into implementing courts through the project. Currently there are no outdoor basketball courts at Nightingale or the high school, though years ago the elementary schools did have outdoor courts, he said.

"Kids like to play basketball. Pickleball is very popular to connect the two generations. It’s not a sport that’s too demanding. You don’t have to be trained. I know it’s getting more and more popular, and it’s a way to connect the community," he said.

LeBlanc said if the design worked out properly, the facility could incorporate courts for basketball, tennis and pickleball, all while allowing for skateboarding.

“If we offer that to kids, the kid connects to our school. We have the space to do it just between the highway and high school,” he said.

Sports facilities were not the only topic during the recent committee meeting, with officials also discussing HVAC upgrades, along with work that needs to be completed on the pool, turf field, girls locker room and special ed needs.

LeBlanc said Vanderbrook wanted all administrators and stakeholders to make a wish list so the district could come up with a comprehensive plan with King + King for the future project.

Some of the top priorities include the high school pool, which was described as being "in bad shape," as well as the high school HVAC system that needs updating and the artificial turf that has since reached the end of its useful life span, according to officials.