Vote Scheduled on Proposed Capital Project
by Alex Brooks
At its January 14 meeting, the Hoosick Falls School Board voted unanimously to put its proposed Capital Project up for voter approval. There will be two propositions, one for $16,758,941, and the other for $5,286,879. The vote will be held on Wednesday March 13, 9 am to 9 pm.
81.7% of the cost of these projects will be paid by State aid, and the District has $4.6 million already sitting in capital reserves which will be applied to help pay the District’s 18.3% share of the cost. There will also be utility savings as a direct result of doing this project, because more efficient lighting and heating equipment will reduce electricity and fuel costs. School Business Administrator Emily Sanders estimated these savings at $36,400 for the first year, but as fuel and electricity costs rise over time, the savings will be greater each year.
The District is making the last payment on one of its previous capital projects this year, and will pay off the other one in a few years, which makes room in the budget for payments on this new project.
The first project, for $16,758,941, is described as the “Base” project. It includes replacement of most of the HVAC system and adding air conditioning in some parts of the building, renovation of ten toilet rooms, replacing data cabling throughout the school, improvements to the gymnasiums and safety items including replacing ceiling tiles that contain asbestos, improved lighting, replacement of the fire alarm system and upgrades to emergency generators. This proposition was designed to include all the items which are most basic and most critical to the school building, all considered things that must get done soon.
The second proposition will include improvements to the science classrooms and labs, the media center, music room, auditorium, cafeteria and kitchen. Proposition 2 will cost $5,286,879 and is contingent on the passing of Proposition 1.
If only the first proposition is passed, the impact to taxpayers will be minimal, as the State Aid, the existing capital reserve, and utility savings will pay for almost all of it. If both propositions are passed, the total impact on a homeowner who owns a house with a market value of 100,000 would be $390 over 16 years, an average of about $24 per year.
Joe Patire said the $4.6 million that the District currently has in capital reserves is going to be spent anyway, because there are urgent building needs which will require that much or more. But if that money is spent as part of a capital project, it will be augmented by four times that much in state aid. He said if you were a homeowner with $5,000 to spend on improvements to your house, and there was a program that would give you an additional $20,000 for your home improvement project, you would be quick to sign up for that program. This is the situation for the District – if it approves both propositions and takes on a project of just over $22 million, the State will pay about $18 million of it.
The District plans to make a series of short videos to describe to voters the need for the project, the projects that will be included in it, and its financial impact.
Discussions With HAYC3
Superintendent Facin said the District is getting new enrollment, and some of the kids coming into the school need significant special education services. Since it is very expensive to send kids to outside placements and he feels the District can get better results by designing programs for them within the school, he is looking at setting up some new special education classes to meet the needs of these children.
Facin said he toured the HAYC3 Armory recently, and is exploring the possibility of leasing space there. “It’s a great facility,” he said. His idea is to move the Restore U program over to the Armory, which would free up space for new special education programming at the school. Restore U is a program led by John Jennings that provides a second chance for students who can’t succeed in the regular high school program.
He said he is only in preliminary discussions so far, but he wanted to keep the Board apprised of what he is looking into. He sees exciting possibilities if the school were to have a part of its campus in the Village. “There are a lot of things we could do there,” he said. The Board was supportive of the idea, suggesting that having a part of the school campus in the Village might help to restore the school’s connection with the community, something that was damaged when the High School moved out of the Village over 50 years ago.
Facin said he is in discussions with HAYC3, the Town Supervisor, and the Mayor about this, and if it works out it would get started in the fall when the new school year starts.