WILSON —
Residents of the Wilson School District will be voting Tuesday on a $4 million capital project that will address a number of updating and renovating needs in each of the district’s buildings.
Polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Zipp Gym, located in the middle/high school, 374 Lake St.
Board President Timothy Kropp said even though it’s tough economically, a school district needs to keep its buildings and grounds maintained.
“The Board of Education thinks its the correct way to go,” Kropp said. “A school building is like your home. Walls need plastering, the plumbing needs fixing.”
The project will cover a variety of fix-ups and will not include any building additions. Work includes items such as repairing sidewalks and parking lots, security updates at all three schools and work on the roof of the middle/high school. The project will focus on upgrading security and safety, making improvements recommended by a building condition survey and making the buildings more energy-efficient.
Work will also take place in the administration building on Lake Street, the industrial arts building and the athletic fields.
Kropp said the project will not affect taxes, as the district will use $1 million from its capital reserve fund and borrow the remaining $3 million. The district does receive state aid reimbursement for the amount borrowed, roughly between 82 percent and 85 percent.
If the project is approved by voters, then the next step would be to draw up construction plans by January. On Jan. 5, the plans will be submitted to the state education department for review and approval. Wilson is expecting to be approved by May 5, which is when the bidding process begins for the work. The work is expected to begin June 15 and take about a year.
Students will not be affected by the construction, as the majority of the work will take place during holidays, summer and times when the school won’t be as busy, said Steven Sandberg, of Harrington Sandberg Architecture and Engineering of Jamestown, the firm that will manage the project.
Mark Rampado, director of facilities in Wilson, said there is a benefit to doing a capital project, as compared to just waiting for something to go wrong. Any construction or improvements made outside of a capital project would have to be covered by the budget, instead of the reserve and state aid.
Discussion of a capital project started in spring of last year, Superintendent Michael Wendt said Tuesday. The board approved the project at a meeting last month.
The occasional capital project is beneficial to a school district, Wendt said.
“If we do these projects every few years, we can maintain an excellent site,” Wendt said.
In 2008, Wilson completed a $8 million capital improvement project, which included work done on the main entrances of its three schools. The middle/high school’s library and media center were renovated and expanded as well.
Contact reporter Joe Olenick at 439-9222, ext. 6241.
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