COLONIE — Voters in the South Colonie Central School District will head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 14, and weigh in on one proposal to borrow $11 million to pay for a number of upgrades and another to save up to $10 million in a Capital Reserve Fund.
The construction project represents Phase III and IV of a multi-year, districtwide plan to make upgrades at all district schools. Phases I and II are wrapping up, said Superintendent John Buhner, and as that debt is paid off, new debt will be added to the overall debt service so the impact on taxes is, at worst, negligible. Also, state building aid would pick up some 56.7 percent of the project.
“Five or six years ago, we planned a four-phase system of prioritizing mainly maintenance and repair work with some of the money going towards major improvements and programming,” he said. “It’s like your house. If you keep up with things it’s less expensive than letting things fall apart and then fixing them.”
The $16 million Phases I and II did include a new library at Forrest Park and Roessleville elementary schools, but the majority of the money went to install things like new, more efficient boilers, roof and pavement work and renovations at the music and art wing at the high school.
Phase II should wrap up by January, Buhner said, and if the voters approve the latest proposal – and the state Education Department gives it a thumbs up – work will begin on Phase III in the summer of 2020 and will progress through 2022 when Phase IV would kick in. The first payment for Phase III would be due in the 2021-22 budget, which is when older debt starts to go off the books.
Phase III and Phase IV will include paving, resurfacing the high school track, the installation of more efficient boilers and updating equipment at the high school auditorium, some of which is still original to when the building was constructed some 50 years ago.
The Capital Reserve Fund
Buhner said at the end of each fiscal year all districts use an auditor to close the books, and if there is money left over, he said, it would go into a Capital Reserve Fund which, if approved by the voters, would top out at $10 million.
Not that there is pile of cash ever left over, but if there is a mild winter and fuel costs and snow plowing come in $100,000 or $200,000 under budget, the Board of Education can put that money into a fund reserved for capital improvements. The district would not include a line item in the budget but only use what is left over if there is any left over.
In order to spend the money, the board would first approve the project and then it would go to the voters who would have the ultimate authority.
“It would allow us to make basic repairs without incurring any debt or paying any interest,” Buhner said. “It’s a transparent process, and I believe it makes a lot of sense and we hope the public will approve the plan.”
Christine Johnson, who has a son in the 11th grade, said she will vote in favor of the construction project because the schools are desperately in need of work, but has not decided on whether or not she will vote for the Capital Reserve Fund.
“I don’t often vote in favor of the school budget because the money doesn’t always go directly towards educational programming, but the repairs the district says it will make is something the schools need,” she said. “I’m not against saving money for projects, but I guess it depends on what they will spend the money on.”
As with about every district who has brought a referendum to borrow money to the voters, Buhner defended the timing of the vote – one week after the general election when everyone is heading to the polls anyway. He said there was some consideration given to having the district vote on the same day but a week later was decided on so people could focus just on the school proposals.
“Ultimately it’s up to the public to decide,” he said. “We are just stewards. The buildings and the facilities belong to the public but it is our responsibility to maintain them and make sure they are clean and safe for the public to use.”
Polls are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at each of the district’s five elementary schools: Forest Park, Roessleville, Saddlewood, Shaker Road and Veeder.
Some project highlights include:
High School
•Renovate graphic art computer classrooms
• Complete bathroom renovations
• Replace some roof systems over technology, art and music wings
• Replace/repair asphalt in pick-up/drop-off areas
• Resurface tennis courts
• Resurface track
• Repair/update stage rigging and lighting in the auditorium
Lisha Kill
• Replace steam boilers
• Replace water heater and storage tanks
• Repair/update stage rigging and lighting in the auditorium
Sand Creek
• Replace spray foam roof system
• Replace/repair asphalt in pick-up/drop-off areas
• Repair/update stage rigging and lighting in the Forum
Forest Park
• Replace/repair asphalt in pick-up/drop-off areas
• Update outdoor lighting
Roessleville
• Replace spray foam roof system
Saddlewood
• Create a new parent pick-up and drop-off traffic loop
• Replace/upgrade fire alarm system
• Improve ADA accessibility
Shaker Road
• Replace/repair asphalt in pick-up/drop-off areas
• Replace/upgrade fire alarm system
Veeder
• Replace/repair asphalt in pick-up/drop-off areas
• Functional and structural improvements in the library (replace carpeting and install air conditioning)
