Two school projects come before voters on January 30

Two school projects come before voters on January 30

Taxpayers in the Churchville-Chili and Hilton Central School Districts will be asked to vote for capital projects that bring benefits to both students and facilities without taking anything away from taxpayers' checkbooks.

By utilizing state aid and the state's EXCEL (Expanding our Children's Education and Learning) funding, there will be no impact to local taxpayers for either C-C's $9.4 million project or Hilton's $9.5 million project. Districts in the area had undertaken a five-year district-wide building condition survey as a road map to future capital improvement.

Using regular building state aid and $160,000 from the Churchville-Chili district's capital reserve fund, the $9,425,000 project in that district will be leveraged by $1,388,873 in the EXCEL aid, a press release received from the district explained.

The focus of the C-C project will be construction that encompasses several items that fall within the EXCEL funding categories. They are at the end of their useful life and will improve energy conservation by lowering energy consumption. The district is looking at:

Partial or full roof replacements at every district school building to improve heat retention and reduce increasing maintenance and repairs;
Replacement of outdated heating and ventilation systems at Fairbanks Road and Churchville Elementary Schools with new energy efficient systems; and, the replacement of the hot water boiler at Chestnut Ridge Elementary School;
Replacement of the Senior High School's Pool Pak unit to reduce humidity levels and recover latent heat back into the pool heating system.

Frank Nardone, assistant superintendent for business at Churchville-Chili said, "We are looking at the energy, health and safety issues throughout the district with this project. This is the first time the state has offered something like this (EXCEL aid package) and we are trying to be on the cutting edge of the other districts to get this money."

There are timelines that the districts must meet in order to qualify for the funding. "By having our vote now, we are assuring ourselves that we get our plans in place and get approvals to get the money. There is no guarantee there will be this money in place after June of 2008," he said.

In Hilton, the district is looking to:

Replace the roof at Northwood, perform asbestos abatement at Northwood
HVAC repairs/replacement at all schools
Update technology district-wide
Window/door replacement at all schools
Electrical distribution at the high school, Northwood and Quest

The overall scope of the $9.5 million proposal will address energy conservation, the health and safety of students, accessibility and technology.

"This is a unique opportunity. A $9.5 million project with no increase in property taxes," Steve Ayers, assistant superintendent for business said. "In my 20 years of involvement with school district leadership, this is the first time I have seen school districts be given the opportunity to plan a project that is fully funded by the state. In planning this project, we calculated the maximum dollar amount that could be completed under the program and still achieve full state funding, and then prioritized our facility needs against this total. This way we are ensuring the greatest 'bang for our buck' in using the state funds."

Ayers said the most common question he has heard over the past month is, "Why vote if there is no local cost?" He said, "The simplest and most compelling answer is that local voter approval of a project is required as a condition of receiving the special state funding. Absent that voter approval, we miss out on the opportunity to utilize the allocation that the state has made available to Hilton. Beyond the legal requirement, we urge people to vote because it models the citizenship we try to teach the children of our community; voting is both a right and an obligation in a democracy."

In the Brockport Central School there will be a public hearing on Tuesday, January 30 in the board of education room in the district office building to discuss a project that will be put before the voters on Tuesday, February 13.

District residents in Brockport will be asked to vote on a proposed $5.7 million bond issue to address specific health, safety and instructional improvements. This vote is being held separately from the district's normal budget vote in May in order for the district to take advantage of the EXCEL funds.

For information call the Superintendent's Office at 637-1810.

District residents must be registered voters with Monroe County Board of Elections (having voted in any general election within the past four years at their current address).

In Hilton absentee ballots are available from the District Clerk, 392-1000, ext. 7099. Absentee ballots must be received no later than 5 p.m. in the District Clerk's office the day of the vote.

Where to vote:

Churchville-Chili Central School District - The vote will be Tuesday, January 30 from noon to 9 p.m. in the Intermediate School, gym C, 139 Fairbanks Road, Churchville. Call Communication Specialist Don McCoy at 293-1800, ext. 2795 for information.

Hilton Central School District - The vote will be Tuesday, January 30 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. with polls at the high school, 400 East Avenue (Parma, Clarkson, Hamlin residents) use the Bennett Road entrance and Northwood Elementary, 433 North Greece Road, (Greece residents only). For information www.hilton.k12.ny.us.