At a special meeting today, the Questar III Board of Education issued a preliminary award to VIP Structures of Syracuse to build a new state-of-the-art educational center at the developer’s nine-acre site on Route 150 in Schodack.
The final award is dependent upon successful negotiation of the lease between the two parties. If the final award is approved by the Questar III Board, this site (located off Exit 11-E on I-90) would house a new state-of-the-art facility replacing the Rensselaer Educational Center (REC) in Troy.
The selection of a developer and site follows a competitive request for proposal (RFP) process, which started in mid-July.
Questar III District Superintendent Dr. Gladys I. Cruz said this is a historic day for the BOCES and its school districts.
“We are pleased to move forward with this building modernization initiative. Now, we can plan for the future and build upon our history of success in CTE and special education,” said Cruz.
Cruz said the BOCES Board chose VIP Structures and the Schodack site based on the unanimous recommendation of the RFP committee it convened to provide feedback.
“The group felt this was the best proposal for our school districts, students and BOCES. The location provides programmatic flexibility and room for future expansion. We look forward to working with VIP Structures, who has significant building experience with BOCES and school districts,” Cruz said.
Questar III received six proposals (and seven sites) in response to its RFP, which was issued on July 19, 2016. A RFP review committee, comprised of Questar III and school district leaders, provided feedback to the Questar III Board by reviewing each proposal, visiting each site and rating the proposals. The committee, which met four times, also interviewed four finalists and narrowed its review to two different locations prior to making its recommendation to the board.
Building on its core strengths of collaboration and cooperation, Questar III will continue to seek input from a diverse cross-section of the region – including school districts, higher education and business – moving forward. Cruz said Questar III will convene an advisory group to provide feedback about building and program needs.
