Owego Elementary School

Project Summary

In September of 2011 the Owego-Apalachin Central School District was seriously impacted by flooding from the Susquehanna River as a result of Tropical Storm Lee. Water levels in the Elementary School building reached well over a foot deep causing serious damage to the school infrastructure. Through FEMA, State and Local Funding a plan was fast tracked to demolish and rebuild the flood ravaged Elementary School. The Team of Griffiths Engineering and Highland Associates was selected to lead the design effort to replace the school. Design and funding timelines were met to allow demolition of the old school in the fall of 2013 and the commencement of the rebuilding process shortly thereafter.

Griffiths provided site, landscape, and utility design services, river modeling, and the necessary flood protection design to raise the proposed school well above the flood levels experience in the 2011. In January of 2016 the completed elementary school opened its doors to students and faculty to a thankful community. The project was awarded the honor of “Outstanding Design” by American School & University Magazine (SchoolDesigns.com) in November 2016.