A rendering of a proposed project at the New Windsor Elementary School. Improvements suggested for the school would include adding a new entrance and bus loop. [PHOTO PROVIDED] ▲ Part of the New Windsor Elementary School is slated to be torn down. [ALLYSE PULLIAM/FOR THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD] ▲ Plans for the New Windsor Elementary School include converting its cafeteria/gym into a library. [ALLYSE PULLIAM/FOR THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD] ▲

CITY OF NEWBURGH - Newburgh school officials detailed an ambitious, two-part capital improvement plan totaling $257 million in construction projects at each of the 14 school campuses in the district.

The endeavor is broken down into two propositions.

One proposal suggests various curriculum-oriented renovations and improvements based on a building-condition survey.

The second proposition centers on overhauling air conditioning and ventilation systems for better indoor air quality.

At the heart of the first proposition is the creation of a $75 million Career and Technical Education center on the Newburgh Free Academy's main campus.

The CTE Center would house some of the district's specialized programs that prepare high school students for college and careers.

The building would have a garage for automotive tech classes; a kitchen for culinary courses; a gymnasium; and classroom spaces for fashion design, photography, barbering, business management and other specialized programs.

Many proposed renovation items at the schools address structural issues, such as mending cracks in the stone masonry at Balmville Elementary School; repairing damaged curbs; adding catch basins; plumbing fixes; replacing stairs, sidewalks, door pads, handrails and windows; and other cosmetic improvements.

Most of the district's school buildings were originally built in the early or mid-1900s.

Other proposed work is more significant, such as asbestos abatement and subsequent demolition of a tower area at the New Windsor Elementary School.

Plans also call for the school's gymnasium to be converted into a library, turning the library into a classroom, and adding a new entrance and bus loop at the rear of the school away from busy Blooming Grove Turnpike.

The board adopted environmental assessment findings during its regular meeting on Tuesday night.

If board members choose to approve both propositions next month, a public referendum could be scheduled to coincide with the budget vote in May. The projects could take eight to 10 years to complete.

School officials compared Newburgh's per-student-spending to that of other nearby districts' capital plans as part of a presentation on Tuesday.

Newburgh will spend about $17,363 per student with the $198 million plan.

That's about $1,000 less per student than the Albany and Kingston districts, and about $5,000 less than Middletown schools, though there are more students in Newburgh than in those districts.

Administrators have worked on the proposal's concepts for about two years, Superintendent Roberto Padilla said at the meeting.

"This was a team that put ideas on the table, pushed the boundaries a little bit," Padilla said Tuesday.

"We didn't always agree with one another. But we always kept in the middle of our thinking and planning what was really at stake, and that was, how do we improve the facilities in our district so our staff and scholars could greatly benefit," he said.

lbellamy@th-record.com