Many national, state, regional and local representatives are expected to join Dr. Bill Russell, Owego Apalachin (OA) superintendent, and the OA Board of Education for a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31, at the school (2 Sheldon Guile Boulevard, Owego).
Students and teachers moved back to OA’s main campus and into the new school on Jan. 6 of this year after having been forced to travel to Linnaeus W. West Elementary School in Endicott from September 2011 until December 2015, following the flood of 2011. That natural catastrophe wreaked havoc across the entire region, and left the OA district without an elementary school in Owego. The flood also destroyed the district’s administrative offices, as well as its maintenance facility.
Two new structures are currently under construction on OA’s main campus. Dr. Russell led a team that worked to rebuild the district, beginning immediately after the floodwaters receded. Negotiations with FEMA over their support for the recovery efforts were prolonged and often difficult. Eventually, Dr. Russell had to request that U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer intervene on the district’s behalf.
Senator Schumer, who has confirmed that he will attend Tuesday morning’s ceremony in Owego, met with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and highlighted what he called “the troubling pace and attention toward repairs” in the OA district.
In a June 2012 press release, shortly following that meeting, Senator Schumer announced that FEMA had agreed to fund the rebuilding or replacement of all of the damaged OA facilities, including a new elementary school. In late 2014, Senator Schumer, alongside U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, announced that
FEMA would also provide funding to build a new administration building and a new maintenance facility outside the floodplain for the OA district.
“Senator Schumer was a true champion for our school district as we encountered difficult obstacles along our path to recovery,” said Dr. Russell.
Russell added, “The senator stepped forward at critical junctures to break logjams along the way. It’s been a long, difficult road, and we would not have arrived here at this point, to dedicate our new school and to look across campus and see two more important structures heading toward completion, without Senator Schumer’s assistance.”
“He shared our sense of urgency, and today, we’ve reached the finish line; our goal and focus during this rebuilding process was to bring our students back home,” said David Barton, OA Board of Education president.
He added, “The dedication of the new Owego Elementary School represents the culmination of years of tenacious effort and a continuous drive from so many community stakeholders. We’re very proud to present this building to our district.” Along with numerous political officials and other dignitaries, the district will also welcome representatives from many of the companies that performed important work during the construction of the new school. And, of course, representatives from the architecture firm that designed the school, Highland Associates, and representatives from the construction management company, Lend Lease, will be in attendance.
After the May 31 dedication in front of the school, guests will be invited inside for light refreshments, to view a new nine-minute video which highlights current OES students offering their opinions about their new school, as well as a video that was originally unveiled in January when the students returned to Owego. Attendees will also have the opportunity to tour the new school after the ceremony. A separate community open house event at the new OES is scheduled for June 4, from 10 a.m. to noon.
