REPORT: BOCES will lease land next-door to Lewis County Education Center to enhance, expand educational programs

LOWVILLE- An agreement has been reached between Jefferson-Lewis BOCES and Maple Ridge Center over the next step in advancing local education programs.

According to officials, BOCES will be leasing over 61-acres of land next-door to the Lewis County Education Center. A future option for purchase will be offered down the road.

According to officials at BOCES, the property is strategically positioned to complement and support the existing programs offered at the Lewis County Education Center.

These programs include Heavy Equipment, Engineering & Design, New Vision Health, Medical Careers, Emergency Medical Services, and Literacy Education Programming, which serve both high school and adult learners throughout the community.

“The decision to move forward with this agreement reflects our shared desire with Maple Ridge Center to foster educational and community-based initiatives,” said Stephen Todd, District Superintendent, Jefferson- Lewis-Hamilton-Herkimer-Oneida BOCES.

“This property agreement allows us to not only grow our current offerings but also pave the way for innovative new programs to meet evolving educational and workforce development needs.”

“We are extremely grateful for this partnership with BOCES, a vital, well-respected organization with a long history of empowering young people in our area,” said Dr. Shereen Palmer, Maple Ridge Center Board President.

“They are the right group to grow the property to its full potential and it is meaningful to us that Maple Ridge will continue to be a place of welcome for the community.”

Both Jefferson-Lewis-Hamilton-Herkimer-Oneida BOCES and Maple Ridge Center value the importance of retaining the property’s longstanding focus on serving the educational and community goals of the region.

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