Public hearing is Dec. 3

By Ashley M. Casey

Contributing Editor

Although they approved the project in 2016, residents of the Liverpool Central School District must head back to the polls to reauthorize Phase Three of the Long-Range Facility Plan. The referendum will take place Dec. 11 (see sidebar for details).

Superintendent Dr. Mark Potter said at the Nov. 19 meeting of the Board of Education that the bid package the district received for Phase Three came in way over budget and the cost was “absolutely absurd.” The BOE rejected the bids in September.

The estimated cost of Phase Three’s renovations has ballooned to $45.3 million, Potter said.

The project is part of the five-phase Long-Range Facility Plan developed by the LCSD in 2010 to renovate the school buildings.

In 2016, voters approved the $39.5 million project, which included renovations at Liverpool High School, improvements at the transportation center on Long Branch Road and replacement of the roof at Wetzel Road Elementary.

Potter said the district has narrowed the scope of Phase Three to focus on vital, student-focused infrastructure work such as the roof, boiler and HVAC system at LHS as well as improvements to the fine arts and physical education aspects of the project.

Highlights of the physical education portion of the project include the addition of a wellness center, repairs to the pool and improvements to the locker rooms, gym and lobby. Should the Dec. 11 referendum pass, the bidding process for the PE improvements would begin in January or February 2019 with construction taking place from April 2019 to June 2020.

Fine arts improvements include the expansion of the auditorium, new lighting and sound systems and a revamped chorus room, which has been tweaked to fit the building’s existing footprint. Bidding would take place in early 2020 with a target construction period of April 2020 to June 2021.

Potter said the revamped project will have no additional tax impact. The life of the bond is 15 years, and the annual cost to taxpayers as approved in 2016 is $13.80 per $100,000 of assessed value. The district will put $950,000 from its capital reserve toward the cost.

Should the Dec. 11 referendum pass, the bidding process would begin in January or February 2019 with construction taking place from April 2019 to June 2020.

Sarah Hall contributed to this report.

BOE approves armed security guard resolution

Also at the Nov. 19 meeting, the board gave the green light to a resolution allowing security guards to carry firearms.

At the Nov. 5 meeting, student liaisons Emily Neuner and Olivia Russo expressed their trepidation about the prospect of having armed guards in the schools. The two solicited the opinions of their classmates and held a discussion forum on the issue.

“After doing research and presenting research to students … everyone turned around to thinking, ‘Okay, this is not a threat,’” Russo said.

Among the concerns students expressed were response time, the safety of the elementary and middle schools, and the importance of building relationships between security guards and the school community.

Richard Pento, another school board member, suggested the district allow students to have a “meet and greet” with potential hires for the security guard position.

BOE member Kevin Van Ness applauded the student liaisons’ initiative in hosting the forum.

“This is what this board has been searching for for many years: creative, objective student input,” he said.

Register to vote

Residents who are not registered with the Liverpool Central School District can do so between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the District Office (195 Blackberry Road in Bayberry).

Those who currently are registered to vote with the Onondaga County Board of Elections also may vote in school elections with no further registration. However, those who are not also entered in the school district register of voters may experience a slight delay at the polls because they will be asked to execute poll records for the district voter file before they will be permitted to vote.

Qualified voters who will be away from home or are otherwise unable to vote in person may vote by absentee ballot. Absentee ballots can be mailed to residents until Dec. 4. After Dec. 4, residents must pick them up in Room 1 of the District Office. To obtain an absentee ballot application, or for more information, contact the Office of Administrative Services at 315-622-7148.

The District Clerk must receive absentee ballots no later than 5 p.m. Dec. 11, the day of the vote.