CORTLAND — Lakeview school officials are reviewing what permanent improvement projects need to be done at the high school, which has sections from the 1960s and 1970s.

Superintendent Ashley Handrych and Ron DeJulio, assistant K-8 principal, spoke to the board of education recently about capital improvements needed at the high school since it is the district’s oldest building. Handrych said the school district had Ameresco do an audit of the building to prioritize its needs.

“Once we had the audit in hand, the district worked to put a five-year plan in place that strategizes how we will use our permanent improvement money to address those needs. Ultimately, we have more problems than money, but I believe we have put a strong plan in place that allows us to replace the items at Lakeview High School that are annually costing the district the most,” Handrych said.

Officials said a permanent improvement levy for the high school, which will be up for renewal in 2026, generates $342,000 annually.

A separate levy for the K-8 building generates $137,000 annually, Handrych said, noting there are some rooftop HVAC units that have reached the end of their lifespan and “continue to nickel and dime us.”

“Our goal is to lower our annual maintenance costs by mapping out a strategy for our permanent improvement funds,” she said.

DeJulio said the oldest sections of the high school were constructed in 1966, 1968 and 1972, and newer sections in 1990 and 1998.

“The high school was built in sections with the second floor an older section and the auditorium a newer section,” he said.

He said the audit made recommendations on what upgrades and repairs need to be done in the next few years before the levy renewal.

Officials said the newer K-8 building is more energy efficient, costing $115,000 annually for electricity while the high school’s electricity costs are $136,000 annually.

“It came as no surprise in the energy portion of the audit to see that our annual utility spend at Lakeview High School is higher than that of the new K-8 building, even though it is a smaller building by the square footage,” Handrych said.

DeJulio said one recommendation is to switch some high school building lights to LED. Some have already been changed. He said the cost to get all lights switched to LED is $191,000 with an anticipated annual savings on electric bills at $31,690 over six years.

DeJulio said the boilers at the high school are from 1966 when the building was constructed. He said the cost to replace the boilers is $517,000. DeJulio said the district has to call Prout Boiler for service calls, and parts are getting more difficult to find.

He said there are 21 rooftop cooling units, with six from the original building and nine older than 15 years. DeJulio said three need replacing at the band rooms and the kitchen area. DeJulio said the cost is $500,000 to update nine units, with anticipated $4,600 annual savings.

Officials said the high school parking lot needs sealed and the football stadium needs concrete work. He said the roof from 1996 also has met its lifespan.

DeJulio said with newer school buses being made taller than past buses, there is an issue at the bus garage, which is not tall enough to house the new-generation buses.

“We need to make changes there. We need to raise the roof or the foundation since buses are no longer fitting there,” he said.

DeJulio said that all replacements, if done, will cost about $2 million.

“This is all contingent on funding” Handrych said.

She said the maintenance team has done an outstanding job maintaining an aging facility, understanding the balance of needing to repair what they can, and is resourceful in finding parts for equipment that are no longer manufactured.

She said the district will not be able to afford everything that was recommended in the building audit from Ameresco, but a five-year plan triages the most pressing matters. Plans are to present the information in a State of the Schools forum later this school year,

Handrych said.