A $27 million proposal to renovate district buildings and athletic fields will head before voters on Dec. 16.

The Scotia-Glenville Board of Education on Monday formally voted to set a referendum for a proposition to renovate classrooms at the middle and high school, expand the high school library, construct a new athletic field with artificial turf and make roof repairs and communications network upgrades at the schools.

Board member Ben Conlon criticized what he said was misleading information about the proposed project put out by the district and local media. The board last week agreed to seek voter authorization for the general parameters of the project — including choosing the second of two options that had been discussed — expanding the existing library instead of constructing a new library addition.

However, Conlon said, he believes the public assumed the project was approved and therefore, there was no need for anyone to come out to Monday’s meeting where the board formally voted on setting the referendum date.

“Our own Web site as of [Monday] said it was voted and approved last week,” he said.
Board President Margaret Smith said it was unfortunate the information on the district’s Web site was not clear about what the board did last week, but Monday’s meeting was properly advertised.
“Clearly, the majority of the board understood that we were not voting on the project,” she said.

Another concern of Conlon’s was the true cost of the project. District officials have said that the bond payment would increase the tax rate about 1.9 percent annually. This equates about $48 for a home with an assessment of $150,000, $38 with the STAR rebate and $32 with the enhanced STAR program. The gross cost of the project is $37.6 million when the interest on the debt payments is included.

However, this figure takes into account money the district has in a reserve account it is using toward the cost. Business Manager Andrew Giaquinto said the tax impact would be 2.6 percent if that money were not factored into consideration.

Conlon also expressed concern about the weak economy. “There’s real possibilities of cutbacks in state aid,” he said.

The vote was 6-1 in favor of proceeding, with Conlon voting in opposition.

The proposal includes $5 million worth of general maintenance and roof repairs at various buildings.

Another part of the project is renovating science and industrial technology classrooms at the middle school and renovating technology classrooms at the high school; enclosing the middle school library; and replacing the football field with artificial turf, 500-seat bleachers and fixing the track.

The district plans to hold community meetings to give residents more information about the proposal on Nov. 12 and Nov. 15 and hold a public hearing tentatively set for Dec. 8. Times and locations for the meetings will be announced.