GERRY — Students at Cassadaga Valley Middle/High School and Sinclairville Elementary School have a lot to look forward to when the new school year begins on Sept. 4.

According to Charles Leichner, school superintendent, the district’s large capital improvement project is wrapping up over the next two weeks, although there will be some ongoing projects continuing through the fall. “Our facilities are a flurry of activity right now,” Leichner said, “but we are staffed and ready to go for fall, and our capital improvement project is right on schedule.”

At the middle/high school building, several major interior and exterior projects are finished or in the finishing stages. Leichner was pleased to report that the concrete work around the main entrance is being completed, as are the parking lots and driveways. Inside both the elementary and middle/high schools, the remodeled cafeterias are almost completed, and new kitchen equipment is arriving this week.

“The main offices won’t be finished by the time we’re back to school,” Leichner explained. “We’ll be using the temporary offices probably through the end of September. We’re just waiting for finishing work to be completed, like cabinet installation. But this won’t impact students coming into school or parents dropping them off.”

Leichner reported that one of the most exciting projects, the remodel of the middle/high school gymnasium, is nearing completion and will be finished by Sept. 4. This week, the new bleachers are being installed and the new scoreboards, which will be equipped with video, will soon be installed. The brand new floors, complete with the new logo, were installed earlier this summer.

“Everything is right on schedule,” Leichner explained. “This summer, our teams that are combined with Falconer have been practicing down there, but when school starts, we’ll be all set for fall sports here.” In particular, the school’s volleyball team will be ready to enjoy their new season in the brand new gymnasium. Leichner is also pleased that the paved roads to the soccer fields will be ready for fall, too.

Since work on the capital improvement project began right after commencement in June, crews have been working in both buildings nearly every day. Leichner explained that at any given time, there are up to 50 contractors working on concrete, painting, electrical, plumbing and more.

“They’re like ants on an ant hill,” said Leichner. “They’re all coordinating their work so that we’re ready to go by September. It’s really amazing to see everything coming together.”

At a recent school board meeting, Scot Stutzman, middle/high school principal reported an expected fall enrollment of 459 students for grades six through 12. Sixth grade orientation will be held on Thursday from 5:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. Elementary School Principal Josh Gilevski reported six new teachers starting this fall, as well as significant changes to the master schedule, including the addition of a kindergarten classroom and the subtraction of a third grade classroom.

Overall, Leichner is looking forward to a great start to the school year, with new staff and newly remodeled space.

“We just had some 1978 graduates visit the school and tour the project. They were really impressed with the changes, but glad to see the building’s character has stayed the same. It’s going to be great for our students to see the all the work that’s been done, too.”