- Barker Central School District
- Superintendent - Letter to Community
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SUPERINTENDENT - LETTER TO COMMUNITY
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Dear Barker Learning Community,
I hope this edition of The Banner finds all of you well and getting ready for the Holiday Season. Time is truly the most valuable resource we have and there never seems to be enough to do all the things we want. During the Holidays, time seems to speed up for us all rather than slow down so I hope all of you are able to carve out time to spend with your loved ones and friends.
As we continue through this school year we continue to see so many great things happening on and around campus. I wanted to touch on a few of these to give you all an idea of all that is going on.
A portion of our large capital project has been approved by the New York State Department of Education. Specifically, our exterior work including the multipurpose athletic field, windows, tennis courts and parking lot work is set to begin as soon as weather allows. The intent is to have all of this work complete prior to the start of school in the fall. The remaining interior work is not quite approved by the State yet but we are expecting that to come very soon and for work on all interiors to begin over the summer. The renovations inside will take nearly all of next school year to finish with full completion expected by September of 2025. These tentative dates fall exactly in our initial timeline so we continue to be on track for this work. Please continue to check in to our capital project webpage for up to date info on designs and other info which can be found here: www.barkercsd.net/capitalproject.
We also have other capital work that is now close to being complete or fully complete. These include the replacement of the air conditioning units that failed in the Jr.-Sr. High School Auditorium, the replacement of a boiler system in our HS gym and pool area, and additional security upgrades to camera systems.
We have also seen the installation of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office communications tower come to completion. This endeavor has allowed for an increased range of radio communication across the district that can be integrated directly with emergency responders here on campus while also providing the Sheriff’s Office with improved radio connectivity across our region, which also improves safety for our entire community.
Another important project that was recently completed was our solar array. It was finally connected and turned on by National Grid at the end of October and we are seeing savings already come our way, even during the fall. We expect to see significant savings really roll in starting in the spring through the summer. Again, we should see more than $60,000 in savings annually over the lifespan of the solar array.
There are so many great things going on around campus and I am excited for what comes next. It still amazes me every single day as to what our students are able to accomplish. We should all be proud of what they have done and what they are poised to do in the future.
I hope to see you around school soon!
Sincerely,
Jacob L. Reimer, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools