By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The Massena Central School board is hiring a Syracuse-area firm to study options for consolidation.

The district since 2014 has been talking about possibly closing a building to save money and become more efficient.

On Thursday, the board hired Castallo and Silky, for $32,000 plus travel expenses, to look at their options.

“They are planning to attend our July 5 board meeting to present their plan and timeline for conducting the study,” Superintendent Pat Brady said. “One of the proposals by Castallo & Silky that resonated, with the ad hoc committee that recommended them, is their plans to reach out to the community to get information and perspectives. It’s anticipated they will form an ad hoc committee … with stakeholders.”

He said Castallo and Silky are planning to gather input through an ad hoc committee of local stakeholders in meetings that will be open to the public.

He said the monthly meetings would “discuss various areas of consideration, such as transportation, course offerings, opportunities for efficiencies, food service, all the various aspects of school operations they will be analyzing and discussing.”

Several years ago, the board hired Dr. Bruce Fraser to study the district and look for ways to consolidate. He suggested putting grades eight through 12 in the high school and five to seven in what is now J.W. Leary Junior High. Under that plan the lower grades would be separated into two elementary buildings.

The board opposed the idea.