Wynantskill UFSD would like to welcome new staff Kate Lansing (speech), Kristin Gordon (chorus teacher) and Kohle DeGuire (custodial cleaner) for the 2019-20 school year.

Dear Wynantskill UFSD community,

I want to let you know we will have some asbestos abatement at Gardner-Dickinson School at the end of July that we expect to last three to five days. While we will take all the necessary safety precautions, we decided to have the work done over the summer when students, faculty and most staff are not in the building.

The work will take place in the art room where flooring tiles and adhesive will be removed. Please know that the tiles and adhesive that will be removed are below another layer of tiles so there has been no risk of exposure to asbestos. The room needs new flooring so we want to take this opportunity to remove all the tile and adhesive.

The district has hired AirQuest Environmental, Inc. to monitor the work. They put together a plan that meets all federal and state codes. These codes ensure that work is done safely and the asbestos is disposed of properly. We have put up notices in the building to ensure anyone entering the school knows that abatement work could be taking place, even though the work area will be inaccessible to the public.

Please know abatement work has many safety requirements. Workers must be trained and wear protective suits and respirators. The area must be sealed off. Negative air machines (large fans with HEPA filters that constantly suck air from the work site and blow it outside) must run at all times during the work to catch any particles that might be in the air and clean the air before discharging it outside.

Monitoring machines that sample the air around the perimeter of the work site will ensure none of the particles escape. AirQuest Environmental, Inc. will always have a technician on site to monitor the work and make sure it meets codes. AirQuest has the authority to shut down the work at any time. They will clear the site when the work is done and the area is clear. All air samples will be verified by a laboratory.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at treardon@wynantskillufsd.org or call me at 518-283-4600 ext. 14.

Sincerely,

Dr. Thomas Reardon
Superintendent

The Board of Education announced at its July 11 meeting it has agreed to a contract extension with Superintendent Dr. Thomas Reardon that keeps him with the district until at least 2024.

Dr. Reardon’s contract was set to expire in 2022. This is the second time his contract has been extended after he joined the district in 2015.

“Dr. Reardon has a constant pulse on the district. He works hard at maintaining all the relationships he has built with parents, students and staff, as well as the larger Wynantskill and North Greenbush community,” said Board of Education President Andrew Lanesey. “The budgets he has presented to the Board have overwhelmingly been approved by our community every year that he has been a part of the district.”

“I thank the Board of Education for its confidence in the work we’ve done and thank the community for its support, which is essential for us to keep doing great things for our school,” said Dr. Reardon. “I look forward to continuing our focus on improving the student experience by expanding academic and social opportunities for all grades as well as enhancing our building and campus.”