Fairport Harbor Village adds to its history with opening of new school | Editorial​

For Fairport Harbor Village, 2025 has been a year marked by noteworthy events and accomplishments.

On June 21, a celebration was held to mark the 200th anniversary of construction being completed on the original Fairport Harbor Lighthouse at 129 Second St.

Less than two months later, people gathered for an important event in the village’s Veterans Memorial Park. That’s where Fairport Harbor Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7754 broke ground Sept. 6 for a new veterans memorial.

Turning to sports, the Fairport Harding High School football team made history on Oct. 24 when they defeated Windham 42-6, to cap a perfect regular season at 10-0. The victory set the school record for wins in a football season.

Clearly, Fairport Harbor residents had plenty to be proud of during the first 10 months of this year. But the community got to celebrate yet another milestone in early December, when Fairport Harbor School District opened its new school.

The district held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 9 at the new pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade school, which is located at 345 Vine St.

“What an absolutely incredible day for Fairport Harbor Schools,” district Superintendent William Billington said. “I am so thrilled to see our students, our staff, our families, our community and so many proud residents gather here today to celebrate this truly historic moment.”

Construction of the building — formally known as Fairport Harbor School — has been taking place for about the past 2 1/2 years, The News-Herald’s Bill DeBus reported.

In a Dec. 8 Facebook post, the district said the school is “substantially complete,” although work will continue over the next few weeks in areas such as the media center/library.

Students will start attending the new school when they return in January from Christmas break.

The first day of classes for students in grades 6 through 12 is Jan. 13. Opening day for kindergarten through fifth-grade students is Jan. 14.

On Dec. 9, the district conducted a grand opening for Fairport Harbor School that began in the building’s cafeteria/auditorium. Billington said the purpose of the event involved much more a ritualistic ribbon cutting.

“It’s about opening the doors to the future, full of promise, opportunity and inspiration for every child who walks through these halls,” he said.

Billington said the new school represents “years of hard work, partnership and unwavering belief in what is possible for our district.”

“It stands as a symbol of hope, progress and Fairport Harbor’s commitment to give our students the very best,” he said. “The impact of this building will be felt for years, and then decades, as it transforms the learning experience for generations of students and strengthens the heartbeat of our community.”

Village Mayor Tim Manross also spoke during the ceremony. He said Fairport Harbor residents deserve credit for completing an important step to make the new school a reality.

“A 1-square-mile town, with no appreciable industry, decided yet again to support its future and its children when it voted for the bond issue to put this building in,” he said.

In the November 2021 election, village voters approved a bond issue that generated funding to construct a new pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade school.

Passage of the 3.9-mill, $5 million bond issue helped to secure an additional $47 million in state funding for building a school to serve the district’s entire student body.

The new school was built on the current property of Harding Middle and High School at 329 Vine St. This structure is situated on former green space and a parking lot that was adjacent to Harding — along New Fourth Street, near the intersection of Vine.

Billington thanked not only voters who passed the pivotal bond issue, but also expressed gratitude to the Fairport Harbor School Board, the district’s construction and design partners, “and everyone who devoted their time, talent and passion to bringing this vision to life.”

“Your dedication has created something special,” he said.

When it came time to cut the ribbon, Billington got assistance from board members and school district Treasurer Sherry Williamson.

Billington then invited audience members to explore the new school. The three-story, 116,000-square-foot structure contains a main gym and an auxiliary gym; and includes advanced technology; modern systems for building operations and safety and security; and a new Fairport Harbor Public Library.

District officials emphasized that the overall school construction project has not been completed.

An upcoming phase of this endeavor will involve abating hazardous materials from Harding Middle and High School, and ultimately demolishing the building.

Construction crews also must finish other final site work, which includes installating a parking lot and playground at Fairport Harbor School.

But the opening of new school itself definitely was an occasion worth celebrating, and helped to begin a new chapter in the history of education in Fairport Harbor Village.