Sharon Springs Central School voters overwhelmingly approved their $2.3 million EXCEL project Tuesday in a 116-48 vote.
Though under a worst case scenario, the district’s financial consultant estimates the project will cost someone with a $100,000 home $11 a year for 15 years, SSCS administrators are confident it won’t cost taxpayers anything extra.
That’s been the case in other local school districts, including Cobleskill-Richmondville, Middleburgh, and Schoharie.
According to Business Manager Tony DiPace, that’s because the cost of 95 percent of the work is coming from the state in the form of building aid.
Of the remaining five percent, the district plans to use $145,000 of its available EXCEL aid.
That money will be invested with the interest it earns applied toward project costs.
Additionally, what the district’s paying on previous building projects is decreasing; those “savings”--$15,000 to $18,000 a year—will also go toward the EXCEL proposal.
Work included in the project includes a new roof, new playground, new second- and third-floor lockers, along with masonry repairs, a new front door, and security cameras and a keyless lock entry system.
Also planned is a new driveway to move traffic from behind the gym to Route 10 instead of Route 20, replacing the ceiling in the old gym, and exterior window work.
The work isn’t expected to begin until 2010-2011.