Building a 3^rd Middle School in Westland Hills Park

Does Albany need a third middle school?

School District justification for a third middle school is 1)relief of overcrowding at the existing middle schools, Hackett and Livingston, 2) attracting middle class families to Albany, and 3)small schools are better.

#1 A third middle school is needed to relieve overcrowding at Hackett and Livingston.

FACT: Projected enrollment for middle school students is flat for the next 7 years. The trend is decreasing enrollment in Albany due to 1) the 2 charter schools, 2) a recently created K-8 school, and 3) a decline in city population.

FACT: Overcrowding was defined by the School District in the draft

environmental impact statement issued late last summer as number

of students exceeding an unexplained cap of 600. That number has

since been revised upward to 650. Current enrollment at Hackett and

Livingston exceeds the revised cap by 78 and 141 students

respectively. Three middle schools of 650 students each would accommodate 1950 students, 431 more than currently enrolled or projected.

FACT: What the School District proposes is a reconfiguration of Albany’s

middle schools from 7-8th grades to 6-8th grades.

FACT: The School District assumed increased enrollment despite the impact of the charter schools, the K-8 school, and a decline in city population. This assumption was based on a "possible enrollment" of all 4^th through 6^th grade students remaining in city schools.

#2. Middle schools of 600-650 students will attract middle class families to Albany.

FACT: Academic performance attracts families with school-age children to a community, not buildings. Guilderland and Bethlehem

middle schools have enrollments far above 650 students yet people

continue to leave Albany for those school districts. Guilderland’s middle school has about 1400 students while Bethlehem’s has about 1200. These schools create a small school learning atmosphere while

achieving economies of scale and holding down operating costs by

assigning students to houses within the school building.

#3 Smaller schools will result in improved academic performance.

FACT: Building smaller schools does not guarantee improved academic performance. A school district in North Carolina embarked on a

construction approach to academic performance only to find that

test scores not only did not improve, they got worse. Recent studies

in New York City also found that reduced class size did not

translate into improved academic performance.

FACT: Middle school enrollment at the proposed 3^rd middle school has

been creeping up from 600 to 650 and 675 has been mentioned. The

building, at 148,000 square feet, is 6,000 square feet larger than the

Times-Union building. A 155,000 square foot building was proposed

to accommodate 900 students at the Kelton Court site and a 142,000

square foot building was proposed for 800 students. In August, the

School District announced plans to use a wing of Livingston for office space. It is reasonable to infer, therefore, that the School District plans for far more than 650 students in Westland Hills, perhaps as many as 800 students.

A. No, there is no need for a third middle school. The School District’s assertion that the numbers support building is contradicted by the facts. There is a basis for questioning whether the third middle school will be a "smaller school" but even if it were, that is no guarantee of improved academic performance, the main reason parents choose a school district.

 

 

 

 

Is Westland Hills the only site suitable for a third middle school?

FACT: Reasonable alternatives exist and even more sites could be considered if the School District requested a waiver of the 16-acre requirement for

middle school sites from the New York State Education Department.

This option is available but was never pursued.

What has changed between the time Westland Hills was rejected as site and

now?

FACT: The School District initially decided that Westland Hills was

unsuitable as a site for a third middle school based on community

reaction, property non-availability, and required traffic reconfiguration. The community is still opposed, the park remains

a public trust that will have to be alienated by the New York State

Legislature in order to be used as a school site, and traffic will have

to be significantly reconfigured.

How does Westland Hills compare to other sites considered and rejected?

FACT: These sites were considered and rejected because they

lacked community support:

Kelton Court (site #29)

Livingston (site #6)

were used as parks:

Exchange Street Pocket Park (site #5)

Normanskill Horse Farm

Beverwyck Park

Ridgefield Park

presented traffic and environmental concerns:

Whitehall Rd./N.Scotland (site #9)

Hoffman Park (site #22)

Rt. 85 (site #28)

Westland Hills is 1) used as a park, is the only park between Washington Park and Colonie, 2) presents significant traffic and environmental concerns, and 3) for those reasons, there is deep

opposition to its use as a school site by the surrounding community.

Are parks and schools complementary uses?

No, New York State law holds that a school does not belong in a park.

What impact will the school have on Westland Hills Park?

Thirteen of the 26 acres in the park are already restricted for Little League use. The proposed plan leaves the Little League fields undisturbed. The building takes 4 acres. The parking lot for 75 cars, bus turnaround, storage building, athletic fields, emergency access road, and cross-country track will be built on what remains, approximately 9 acres. The wooded lot of mature trees at the east end of the park will be destroyed, as will the community gardens. The sledding hill at the west end of the park will be

"reshaped" for spectator viewing. The community gardens will be relocated

on a hill adjacent to the bus turnaround in the area where contaminated soil

was found. The park will be used by as many as 800 students on a daily

basis for physical education classes and after school and on weekends for

athletic events.

How is the determination made that conversion of park land will occur as

the result of nonpark use?

All current passive and active recreational uses must first be identified. Then, the impact of nonpark use on all activities is assessed.

Were all park purposes and uses identified?

No. The School District did not consider adult active or passive recreational

activities currently enjoyed in Westland Hills Park. Its conclusion that there

would be no curtailment of park use was based on an assertion that park

"features" such as the Little League fields, toddler wading pool, and playground apparatus will remain.

Will school use curtail park use?

Yes. People who come to the park to walk or sit under the shade of the trees at the east end will no longer be able to do so. Open space currently used

for quiet walks or bird watching or frisbee throwing will be paved or in

use for physical education classes. The sledding hill will become a spectator

viewing area. The gardens in their relocated site will present severe water

runoff , soil contamination, and access problems. In addition, the fence surrounding the gardens, now in a mid-park location, will have a negative visual impact. In addition, the number of students using the park on a daily basis as well as for athletic events means that the park will be used for school activities before school, during school, after school, and on weekends.

What is the effect of restricting public use of Westland Hills Park?

Restricting public use of park land for any period of time converts a park

from public open space to, in this case, a schoolyard. The unnecessary loss

of Westland Hills, a park essential to the survival and continued vitality of

the surrounding neighborhoods, can only have negative economic and quality of life consequences for the residents living in the area and for Albany as well.

How much would a third middle school cost?

As part of the overall Facilities Plan, which will require a $174.6 million bond issue and cost over $357 million after interest for 20 years is calculated, the third middle school is likely to cost significantly more than the $30 million projected for its construction because of contamination

problems as the site. Soil contamination removal could cost as much as

$70 million. Because the School District can’t spend more money than the

voters approve for each phase, increased costs for soil contamination removal and containment will come at the expense of other school projects

in the Facilities Plan.

Has the site been approved?

Despite the School District Superintendent’s assertions to the contrary, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) has not approved the Westland Hills site. According to the Coordinator of NYSED’s Office of Facilities, "[t]he site will only be approved for construction in the future if the agencies with the expertise regarding the contamination recommend that the site can be properly cleared and mitigated for the safety of students, staff

and the public."

How much additional traffic can be expected?

According to the School District, 800 vehicles currently use Colvin Avenue during the morning school opening period and 1200 vehicles use it during the afternoon school closing period. Based on enrollment of 600 students (not the current 650 or more), the School District estimates that an additional 225 vehicles during each of the two periods will create a 20-25% increase in traffic. Resulting congestion on Colvin will further delay traffic at the Washington Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, and especially Central Avenue intersections.

Where would the most serious traffic problems occur?

On Colvin Avenue but they would ripple through the area as people try to

avoid congestion. Colvin Avenue is the only street in the upper Washington

Avenue area of Albany connecting two main thoroughfares, Washington and Central Avenues. As the only way into the proposed school, Colvin Avenue would carry all school bound traffic.