Syracuse Common Council to support new STEAM high school with city facilities
In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the Syracuse Common Council approved a plan to favor a student drop-off area for a new STEAM-focused high school. Brycen Pace | Senior Staff Photographer
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The Syracuse Common Council announced plans to support the city’s new STEAM High School and address 911 response time concerns throughout Onondaga County Tuesday afternoon.
The new high school, located at the corner of South Warren Street and East Adams Street in Syracuse, will welcome its first class of students Wednesday, opening on time after construction began in October 2023. STEAM High School is a public charter school with nine concentrations ranging from performing arts to construction management.
The council unanimously approved Councilor Patrick Hogan’s plan to give land located between Warren Street and Salina Street to the high school for a dedicated student drop-off.
The council also agreed to continue the design and construction of a football stadium at the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central, which ITC previously said would open in Fall 2025. The stadium, which STEAM High School will also use, features more seating, team rooms, restrooms, a walking trail and new playground.
STEAM also received a Career and Technical Education pathways certification from New York state. CTE pathways provide students the opportunity to participate in specialized course programs and gain real-world experience.
The council also unanimously approved the Syracuse City School District’s use of the Syracuse Fire Department’s facilities to provide students enrolled in the CTE Fire Rescue Curriculum at the Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler with training courses. PSLA @ Fowler will have access to the facilities for one year with two opportunities for renewal.
The training center includes a five-story tower, a live fire house and a smoke house. PSLA @ Fowler also has access to simulation rooms and a Fire Rescue lab on its campus.
In an 8-1 vote, the council also approved a three-year contract with American Medical Response, a provider for emergency services, for advanced and basic life support ambulances. The agreement establishes boundaries between SFD and AMR, as well as address response time concerns in Onondaga County.
When someone calls 911, AMR responders decide the level of care necessary and transfer the caller to whoever is best suited to handle the case. Lower-level cases, such as fevers, will be met with basic EMT ambulances, while the cases involving more serious matters like strokes, which paramedic ambulances will handle.
In a Public Safety Committee hearing on Aug. 25, the council noted there was a 30% increase in 911 phone calls in Onondaga County from 2023 to 2024, with 30% of people in the county without access to a car.
There has also been a decrease in EMT positions and primary care physicians in the county, leading to longer emergency room waits and greater stress on the Syracuse health care system.
The goal is to lower response times, increase efficiency and allow the fire department to focus on its main functions, according to the presentation from the committee hearing.
The council did not specify when the contract would begin.
