MORAVIA - Upgrades and renovations to Moravia Central School District buildings will take longer than anticipated to complete.

Superintendent Bill Tammaro said a backlog of capital projects waiting approval from the state education department has delayed the district's $27.5 million project by almost a year.

“Just about everybody across the state waiting approval for projects have been delayed,” he said. “We're not unique here. We were hoping to begin construction this summer, but it puts us out almost an extra year.”

In February 2007, voters overwhelmingly approved the project, which encompasses site work at both school buildings, including $11.9 million for Millard Fillmore Elementary School to create additional classroom space for full-day kindergarten, renovate the cafeteria, expand the existing auditorium and gymnasium, create handicapped-accessible bathrooms, parking spaces and walkways, and install a new boiler.

At the middle school/high school building, one new high school and two new middle school classrooms will be built, most of the science classrooms will be renovated and the building will see a $624,000 fitness center.

Work will also be completed at the athletic fields, and roughly $3 million has been allocated to replace the deteriorating, 35-year-old bus garage.

Tammaro said he planned on updating the board of education on the district's progress in replacing the elementary school roof, the only part of the capital project being worked on this summer, during its meeting Wednesday night.

Tammaro said the undertaking is nearly done, with work to be completed in October.

In June, $100,000 in state money was directed to help the district resurface its athletic track.

Tammaro said at that time that the district had been working on improving the track for three or four years, but the bids had come in too high.

Moravia is now ready to move forward in those plans, with work expected to begin Sept. 8 and completed mid-October.