Watkins Glen opens new, expanded campus

WATKINS GLEN--The Watkins Glen Central School District cut the ribbon on its newly consolidated single-campus Thursday, Aug. 28 in front of the newest addition to the high school building. More than 75 people attended the ceremony where speakers commemorated the completion of the $24,662,190 project which initially was conceived in 2010. The project includes a new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) room, library, gym and district offices.
"There is no doubt STEM is the focus of this project," Watkins Glen Superintendent Tom Phillips said. "[...] This could not have been accomplished without the community involvement."
The single-campus consolidation comes as a result of the decision to close the middle school building located along Decatur Street. The district sold the building which is now being converted into a senior housing complex. Phillips recognized the current and past school board members who had worked on the consolidation project over the years, the county, village and voters who approved the project.
"This is a community project," State Senator Tom O'Mara (R,C-Corning) said. "This kind of project [...] is just fantastic. The school board, I applaud you for the initiatives that you have, the risks you have taken to move forward with this outstanding and really great project to focus on STEM, which is the way of the future, to transform the former middle school into housing. [...] There are some great projects going on and some great vision the community is seeing."