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North Albany Academy
570 North Pearl Street
North Albany Academy, formerly PS 20,
hosted its grand opening celebration in September 2005. The original
school was a combination of an old, rundown building (constructed in
1922) with small rooms, inadequate office space, and a large gymnasium,
bridged together with a newer wing (constructed in 1952) that provided a
library, two or three good kindergarten rooms, and 10 classrooms.
Renovation & expansion
The district decided to renovate and expand the current building. The
board of education also determined to design the school as the
district's one-and-only grades K-8 building. A K-8 configuration at
North Albany Academy was possible to do from a size standpoint, as the
school is only two-sections deep. As a K-5 school, it would have had 300
students. As a K-8 school, North Albany Academy will grow to 450
students, which still keeps it within ideal small school enrollment
numbers.
YMCA
& Community Center
The
Albany Housing Authority received a $28 million federal grant to
revitalize North Albany. This includes money to build a community center
attached to the school to house a four-lane pool, a gym, an indoor
running track, a fitness center, a public library branch, a community
room, and possibly a daycare center. These facilities are open for
school and community use.
Originally, the plan was for the Housing Authority to turn part of the
money over to the school district and let it build the community center,
which would have made the project partially eligible for state building
aid. The final plan was for the Albany YMCA build the community center
and lease the facilities to the district. The district will recoup part
of the leasing cost through state leasing aid, and it will save on
maintenance costs. As a result, local taxpayers will pay no more to
lease the community center than to own it. Because the community center
gym is available to students, the district did not have to build a gym
onto School 20, saving taxpayers money.
The restored and expanded school 20 includes:
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Renovation of the original 1922 building to serve the majority of
grade 6-8 classes and to house the principal's office.
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Renovation of 1952 addition to house the K-5 classrooms.
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Construction of a new addition to house the library/media center,
art and music rooms and provide a connection to the community
center.
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Conversion of the existing gym to a cafeteria. Students use the YMCA
gym and pool for physical education.
Major program spaces:
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12 K-5 classrooms (all kindergarten rooms with toilets)
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Six 6-8 classrooms
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1 science classroom
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2 special education classrooms for K-5 and one for 6-8 (with support
space for special services)
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2 tutorial/enrichment rooms
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2 computer classrooms
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1 music classroom with practice room and storage
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1 art room (with kiln and storage)
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Library/media center
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Cafeteria
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Administrative support area for principal, guidance, attendance and
special services
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Faculty work area
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Parent/community room
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Nurse's suite (with exam room, bed area and toilet)
Other features:
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Masonry repointing
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New exterior doors and interior partitions
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New windows in 1952 addition
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Full handicapped accessibility
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Computers and Internet access in every classroom
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Air conditioning throughout the building
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Energy efficient heating and lighting systems
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Building security and fire detection system
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