School District Facilities Committee to continue capital project talks at Sept. 23 meeting

The Warwick Valley School Board is considering a capital project that includes repairs and renovations to the High School, Middle School, Park Avenue Elementary and Sanfordville Elementary.

The project would come at no additional cost to taxpayers, as the board and district leaders are committed to preventing any additional tax burden on district residents, according to the district’s press release detailing the effort.

On Wednesday, Sept. 9, the district’s Facilities Committee continued discussions on a potential $13.8 million capital project. It was the committee’s third meeting since June to address the capital needs of the district. If the board chooses to move the capital project forward, it would place it before voters as a capital project referendum.

Funding

The district would utilize the $5 million of capital reserve funds plus the expected 63.8% state aid in the amount of $8,812,154. The combined funds provide a total spending power of $13,812,154 and eliminate any tax burden from the project.

“The District is committed to funding capital projects without any additional cost for local taxpayers,” said Superintendent Dr. David Leach. “We can fulfill this commitment to be respectful of our community’s tax burden through responsible budgeting and leveraging our state aid.”

The committee put together a list of proposed infrastructure projects that are being considered. The list currently includes:

Park Avenue Elementary

● Install energy efficient windows to replace windows that are at least 30-years-old.

Sanfordville Elementary

● Replace the entire roof.

● Replace the air conditioning chiller units.

● Construct outdoor bathrooms with three to four stalls each for boys and girls.

Middle School

● Replace unit ventilators in the gym.

● Construct outdoor bathrooms with three to four stalls each for boys and girls.

High School

● Replace the foam portions of the roof with a rubber roof.

● Replace the air conditioning chiller units.

● Replace the air conditioning unit ventilator units.

● Replace the air handling unit in the auditorium.

● Replace the seating in the auditorium.

● Widen the natural grass football field from 160 feet to 185 feet, to create a multi-use field that will accommodate football, soccer or lacrosse games.

● Replacement of the running track (built in 1987), expanding it from six lanes to eight lanes.

● Construct an outdoor bathroom facility at the stadium that will have five-to-six stalls each for boys and girls.

“The Board of Education will wait for further information from the Facilities Committee before making a decision on whether we will proceed to put a capital project referendum before voters,” said Board President Keith Parsons. “However, this appears to be an opportune time with the availability of money from both the district’s capital reserve and the state aid to remedy much-needed, long-term capital improvements to our school buildings without impacting our local taxpayers.”

What’s next

The next Facilities Committee meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 23, at the High School Media Center to continue the discussion.