by David Flint
The Berlin School Board continues to wrestle with shaping a capital project that they had hoped to present to the voters in a referendum in December. Presently there are three major options before them. Option 1 includes renovation and construction at the Berlin Elementary School to allow for consolidation of elementary education at that location, plus renovation and upgrading at both the Middle School/High School and at the bus garage. Option 2 removes the bus garage from the project and Option 3 includes only the work at Berlin Elementary School.
At the Board’s request, Daniel Woodside of the architectural Firm CS Arch had prepared a couple of revisions to Option 3 that would reduce the cost, which he presented to the Board at their meeting on Tuesday, October 21. One of the revisions would reduce the estimated cost of $14.5 million to $11.9 million largely by dropping most of the outside grounds improvements, not replacing ceilings in classrooms and corridors and foregoing a number of other refurbishments. A second revision would reduce the estimated cost to $9.1 million by keeping strictly to construction and renovation required by the program change and to adhere to code, safety and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. All proposed work on the exterior of the building including the roof, windows and doors, with the exception of the main entry, would be eliminated, as would conversion of some heating/ventilating control systems and some electrical items.
Board Member Jeffrey Paine thought that the second revision went too far and would have the Board returning to the taxpayers in a few years to replace the roof, windows and doors.
Dr. Rick Timbs, of BPD Financial consultants, Bernard Donegan’s group, presented a report on the estimated financial and tax impact of the various options for the proposed capital project. He estimated that under a full project, to include work at the bus garage and the high school/middle school as well as at Berlin Elementary School, estimated to cost $21.7 million, the average annual cost to a taxpayer with the regular STAR rebate and with a home full valued at $125,000 would be $124. For a project without the bus garage costing $19.2 million, the average annual cost would be $113. And for a project at just the Berlin Elementary School costing $12.5 million, the average annual cost would be $60. These rates would of course vary from town to town based on the equalization rates. Timbs was asked to provide the data broken down by towns, and he agreed to do that.
The Board spent a considerable amount of time arguing about the need to get the project moving versus the need to pin down affordability. Tom Morelli was adamant that the Board needs to assure people that whatever project the Board decides on, it will be affordable to the taxpayers some years down the line. He suggested it might have to be done piecemeal, transitioning Stephentown students to Berlin first and Grafton later, “learning as we go.” He asked for financial data for the various options and their revisions to be plugged into a five year financial model that the Board adopted in the past year. Jeffrey Paine and Elizabeth Miller were more concerned that every day of delay will cost the District more money. Paine said the District needs to spend a minimum of $6 million immediately just for safety and ADA compliance or the State will come in and force that payment. He also feared that if they do not act soon the District might lose $1.8 million in State Excel aid intended to be an incentive for consolidation.
Paine made a motion that the Board select for a referendum the building project at Berlin Elementary only. The motion was seconded by Elizabeth Miller. Beverly Stewart and others thought the motion was not well thought through and that the Board was not ready to decide on the scope of the project. Paine and Miller were persuaded to rescind their motion with the proviso that a special meeting would be held on October 27 at which updated financial information would be presented and their proposal could be presented in a more refined way.
Several people attending the meeting spoke up expressing fears and frustration regarding the building project and the deliberations of the Board. Marc Franco said people are hurting financially now and can’t afford to pay their taxes, especially retired persons. He wanted to know what happened to the $700,000 yearly that the District was paying on the Cherry Plain bond now that it has been paid off. He suggested that the District’s maintenance department could take care of needed repairs at Berlin Elementary.
Kurt Klein, a former Board Member, said the people were misled back in the 80s about the cost of the new high school and he did not want that to happen again.
Tammy Osterhout implored the Board to stop the free-for-all, the arguing and the disrespect toward each other. She saw no need for the Board to keep asking the architects and financial people for more estimates and breakdowns week after week. “Let the voters decide!” she said.
Another woman asked the Board to put their biases aside and, “Put it to a vote. End it now! Enough is enough! Shut the schools and consolidate!”
Andrew Zlotnick said, “$21 million is crazy!” He thought the Board should put money where the growth is, at the north and south ends of the District. It is not proven, he said, that Berlin Elementary is the best school to keep.
Phoebe Paine, a student in the District, said it doesn’t matter whether the students go to school in multiple buildings or just one, though she felt that one would be better. “This needs to get settled,” she said, “We just want our education.”
The Board set the special meeting on the Capital Project for Monday, October 27, at 7 pm at the High School auditorium.