Marcellus BOE agrees to schedule capital improvement project vote for December
At their regular board meeting on Oct. 1, members of the Marcellus Board of Education adopted a resolution to schedule a voter referendum on a proposed capital improvement project for Dec. 11, 2018.
On Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018, Marcellus Central School District residents will vote on a proposed $9.9 million capital improvement project. If approved, the project would address critical maintenance issues affecting the teaching and learning environment for both students and staff. The three major components of this project are: dealing with drainage issues in the basement of Driver Middle School; replacing an aging and failing heating system at the middle school; and resurfacing the track and turf at the high school athletic complex.
There is no additional tax increase associated with the proposed project.
District officials estimate 80 percent of the project would be paid for with state building aid. The remaining local share would be financed through district debt replacement, meaning there would be zero additional tax impact for district residents. In 2021, Marcellus anticipates paying off debt incurred from a 2005 capital project.
The district is proposing to: replace the 30-year-oil steam boilers in DMS with new, high-efficiency gas boilers and replace all the original wooden sash windows with energy-efficient options equipped with screens; repair drainage issues that lead to basement flooding after heavy rainfall at the middle school; and resurface the track and turf field at the high school athletic stadium, both at the end of their useful life, and retrofit the existing lighting there to LED to improve energy efficiency and reduce light pollution affecting campus neighbors. Construction would take place during the summers of 2020 and 2021.
A public hearing on the project will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, and the voter referendum will take place between noon and 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, both in the auditorium of Marcellus High School, located at 1 Mustang Hill.
