NYS DEC school in Cleveland still on track for opening
CLEVELAND, N.Y. — The grass remains mowed at the former Cleveland Elementary School, but the classrooms have remained empty — the same way they have been for the past nine years.
Located on prime real estate directly across from Oneida Lake, the school shut down in 2016 and was purchased in 2019 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for future use as an EnCon training school for DEC agents.
However, no development has begun since the purchase, leaving Oswego County residents wondering when the school will be ready for new life.
The Oswego County Development Office said it has little insight into the project.
“The state is not required to go through local review, so it’s very likely that anything they are doing they did not tell us or they’re not going to tell us,” Oswego County Development Office representative Tim Stahl said.
Officials with the Village of Cleveland also said they have no information on the project.
A FOIL request filed with the DEC sought additional details. Prior to that request, a 785-page consultation report from 2022 was reviewed outlining needed upgrades, floor plan changes, and new construction, including additional parking, a security booth, and a maintenance building.
The report lists an award date of January 31, 2023, but no updates followed, and the document was not mentioned in the DEC’s FOIL response.
When asked about the consultation report, the DEC provided a timeline indicating the project is expected to go out to bid in summer 2027, with the school opening by fall 2029.
Until then, the former Cleveland Elementary School remains unused as residents wait for its next chapter.
