Voorheesville school officials are hoping a scaled-back capital project targeting what it has deemed to be essential improvements will be approved by voters.
District voters will head to the polls today from 2 to 9 p.m. at Voorheesville Middle School to cast their ballots on a proposed $2.7 million bond project. A majority of the project cost is tied to reconstruction of the high school’s built-up roof for $2.345 million. Reconstructing walls above the roof also accounts for $78,000 worth of work. Replacing network switches and adding 60 drops of wireless access totals a cost of $279,500.
The Board of Education held a public hearing on the proposal at its Monday, Dec. 9, meeting, which included an overview of the project and its costs. There were few comments from the public on the project, with some questions over financing and the timing of the expenditure.
“It’s no secret that the roof on the building has been in trouble for a considerable period of time,” Board of Education Trustee James Coffin said. “We have been watching it and there have been some minor fixes over time, but it has continued to get worse. We see that we have to address this issue.”
The approximately 82,000 square feet of the high school’s built-up roofing system was constructed during 1958 and 1968. The roof was last resurfaced 18 years ago. The reconstructed roof will be an ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber roofing system, which holds a 30-year warranty.
Roof reconstruction will also address leaks and areas of wet insulation, with the new roof estimated to save around $1,500 annually in natural gas costs based on 2012-13 energy rates, according to the district.
The high school gymnasium’s high wall above the roof is displaying white chalking on brick surfaces, cracking and possible water damage due to age. District officials said failing to make improvements could lead to more serious infrastructure damage.
Technology upgrades would address upgrading the district’s network, which does not have enough bandwidth to support forthcoming state-mandated online testing requirements.
Coffin said board members and district officials were “cautious” on how the proposed project was developed, along with setting aside some funds in its capital reserve account. The proposal going before voters was whittled down from one estimated at more than $11.48 million.
“We were looking at a much bigger project than this, and the board walked away from it because we can’t do these other things,” Coffin said. “It just became too expensive in very difficult times, and God knows what we are going to be facing down the road.”
Superintendent Teresa Thayer Snyder previously said delaying several improvements and upgrades allows the district to monitor community demographics and not incur “massive” debt if enrollment significantly declines.
The enrollment this school year is 1,176 students, approximately 116 fewer than on the first day of school in the 2002-03 school year.
The district would receive state aid to cover 61.8 percent of the project’s cost, and $555,000 of the district’s building project reserve funds would be tapped. All of the project funding is eligible for state aid.
Using reserve funds will lower the burden on taxpayers, so the maximum amount of borrowed money would total $2,147,700.
“Utilizing the capital fund is prudent because the district does not have to borrow and pay interest on that portion,” Diefenbach said in a statement to Spotlight News. “In fact on the investment side, the interest being earned on the capital reserve is 0.04 percent, which makes it even more prudent to make the money work for the district.”
Building project reserve funds, also known as its capital reserves, are set aside to only be used on building projects. Over the years, the repair reserve has been used for smaller projects requiring immediate attention, but it cannot be used on larger projects such as roof renovations.
Coffin said the actual amount of borrowed money could come in lower than projected. Coffin referred to a prior elementary school capital project coming in around $500,000 less than what voters were asked to approve, so the district borrowed less money.
Board President Timothy Blow believes the estimates for the project are “very high,” and the district will be looking to save money.
“One of the things that is important to be aware of is we are working off an old roof, and you never know what you are going to find until you rip it off,” Snyder said. “Hopefully we won’t find any surprises when ripping that roof off.”
The bond would be paid off over 16 years and holds an annual tax increase per $1,000 assessed value of 6.7 cents for a New Scotland homeowner, 7.3 cents for a Guilderland homeowner and 10.1 cents in Berne. A New Scotland home assessed at $250,000 would pay $16.75 annually for the project, with the potential impact over 16 years totaling almost $270.
For information on the project, visit Voorheesville Central School District’s website at vcsd.neric.org.
Check back to SpotlightNews.com for referendum vote results.