Spring 2022 Capital Project

Residents approved the Spring 2022 Capital Project in a public vote on May 17, 2022, by a vote of 413 (yes) to 122 (no). Below we will be updating you periodically on the progress of the project.

Spring 2022 Capital Project Construction Updates

September 5, 2023: See an update below from Superintendent Jason Chevrier about the progress of Phase 1 construction at the end of Summer 2023:

Dear Schodack CSD Community,

Many of you are likely aware that Phase 1 construction for our district’s current capital improvement project started in late May 2023 and that it has been ongoing throughout the summer. With our faculty/staff returning today and Wednesday (September 5-6) and all our students returning Thursday (September 7), this is a quick update on the status of construction at Maple Hill Jr./Sr. High School, Castleton Elementary School and the District Office.

Additionally, please remember that all our building parking lots and nearby roads are particularly busy during the first few days of a new school year. I ask that you please be considerate and careful when driving at or near our buildings this week.

Maple Hill

Construction work so far at Maple Hill has been focused on replacing the main parking lot and tennis courts, both of which were in deteriorating condition. Work on both has progressed nicely over the summer though neither is fully complete yet. We expect the final work on the parking lot and tennis courts will be completed in early to mid-September.

Though there is some work needed to finish the parking lot, it will be open for use when everyone returns this week. Temporary striping has been put down to mark off parking spots and to indicate traffic flow. Please be mindful when entering/exiting the parking lot.

Castleton Elementary

Summer work at Castleton Elementary focused on expanding the school’s existing parking lot. This work has been completed and the parking lot is open for use. The expanded lot includes an additional 25 parking spots and will help reduce the need for street parking around the school.

District Office

Summer construction at the Schodack District Office focused on completely replacing the aging exterior concrete sidewalks and stairs, both of which were beginning to present safety concerns. Work on these has been completed and the exterior sidewalks and stairs are now open for foot traffic.

Sincerely,

Jason M. Chevrier
Superintendent
Schodack Central School District

July 10, 2023: Capital project construction work will be starting this Thursday, July 13, in the Maple Hill Jr./Sr. High School Parking Lot. The main lot and the bus loop at Maple Hill will be off-limits starting on Thursday and throughout the parking lot replacement process. The student parking lot will be available for parking and there will be sidewalk access from it to the main entrance of Maple Hill.

June 26, 2023: There will be some capital project construction work starting today at the Schodack District Office Building. Turner Construction will begin the process of replacing the exterior stairs and sidewalks around the building. The Schodack District Office will still be open while this work is taking place.

May 18, 2023: On Tuesday (May 16) the board of education approved the final contract for Phase 1 construction of our capital improvement project approved by district voters last year on May 17, 2022.

The site work for the project will be broken into two phases. Phase 1 will include site work at Maple Hill, the District Office and Castleton Elementary. Phase 1 is currently scheduled to start next week on Monday, May 22, with work on the Maple Hill Tennis Courts. This means you will begin to see workers around on district property and construction fencing going up around the tennis courts, which will be off-limits for the rest of the school year. Other minor site work will also begin during this last month of school but a majority of Phase 1 will take place over the summer. Our goal is to have it completed by the time students return to school in September. 

We are working with our contractor to ensure any construction taking place during the remainder of this school year does not disrupt our end-of-year building schedules or events. Most of the construction will take place outside and when students are outside they will be kept away from the work sites. 

Phase 2 construction will begin at a still-to-be-determined time in 2024 and is expected to be completed within that same year. It will include the remaining site work at Maple Hill, Castleton Elementary, the District Office and the Bus Garage.

On May 17, 2022, Schodack Central School District will hold a public vote for registered district residents to consider the approval of a proposed capital project (referred to hereafter as the 2022 Capital Project) budgeted at $8,764,559. 

If voters approve the 2022 Capital Project, that money would be used for necessary maintenance, renovations and improvements at all three primary district sites.  

The district currently has a unique funding opportunity to pay for this proposed project. Using the funding sources outlined below, approval of the 2022 Capital Project is expected to have no additional impact on the district taxpayer.  

On the ballot with the 2022 Capital Project will be the proposed 2022-2023 School Year Budget and candidates for Schodack’s Board of Education.    

Voting for the 2022 Capital Project

Public voting for the 2022 Capital Project, the 2022-23 Budget and the board candidates will take place on Tuesday, May 17 from 6:00 AM – 9:00 PM in the Maple Hill Jr./Sr. High School Gym (1216 Maple Hill Road).

Where Will the Money for the Project Come From?

The $8,764,559 up for voter approval would come from three separate funding sources. 

  1. Retiring Debt – $6,300,000
    1. A bulk of the money would be available because the district has a current amount of debt that is about to retire/end. That amount of debt was already approved in a previous public vote. This means a “debt service” (the amount of money needed to repay interest and principal on a debt for a particular period) was created by a previous tax increase to cover the district’s soon to be retired current debt. Since that debt service money already exists, when the district borrows $6,300,000 from the bank for this new project, no new debt service will need to be created. This is an opportunity for school districts to strategically plan improvement work with minimal to no tax impact. Schodack will not have retiring debt to use for similar opportunities again until 2034.    
  2. Capital Reserve Fund – $893,795
    1. $893,795 would come from a previously voter-approved district capital reserve fund. Taxpayers approved the creation of this fund in a 2015 public vote. Reserve funds are a place for districts to set aside savings at the end of the school year to help finance important facilities work like the ones in this proposed project. The district already has the $893,795 in a capital reserve fund but it must be approved by voters for use in this project.
  3. Fund Balance – $1,570,764
    1. $1,570,764 would come from a fund balance, money that the district set aside in anticipation of cuts to New York State school aid money due to the pandemic. Ultimately those aid cuts did not occur and the district did not need to use this money to preserve student programs and services. Now the district would like voter permission for investing in the long-term integrity of its facilities for both current and future students. 
What Will Be Included In This Project?

Voter approval of the 2022 Capital Project would include repairs, renovations and improvements at all three primary district sites.  

If the 2022 Capital Project is approved, examples of improvements in the district would include but not be limited to:

Castleton Elementary School

Installing Air Conditioning in Multiple Learning Spaces

Red areas are where air conditioning would be added.

New Outdoor Lighting at the Front Entrance the School

Lighting will be added to improve safety and security. Highlighted area will have additional lighting.

 

25 New Parking Spaces in the Parking Lot

The expanded parking lot behind the school will reduce parking on streets and lawns. The highlighted area is where the parking lot will be expanded.

 

Maple Hill Jr./Sr. High School

Renovating and Modernizing the Technology Suite

The Technology Suite Classrooms need renovations and updates to better meet modern student needs.

 

Installing Air Conditioning in Multiple classrooms and Spaces

Red areas are where air conditioning would be added.

 

Parking Lot and Tennis Court Replacement 

The aging parking lot presents safety and maintenance concerns. The tennis courts are no longer serviceable and therefore no longer usable by Maple Hill teams.

 

District Office and Bus Garage

Replacement of Sidewalks and Exterior Stairs at the District Office

Aging sidewalks and exterior stairs present safety & maintenance issues.

 

Replacing Folding Gym Partition

The aging partition would be replaced with an easier and safer to use divider curtain.

 

Replacing Fueling Island and Garage Doors at Bus Garage

The fuel station island and garage doors at the Bus Garage have outlived their useful life.

 

Public Presentation Materials

Maple Hill Gym Roof Repair & Creation of Capital Reserve Fund – December 2021

Update (December 14, 2021):

On Tuesday, December 14, voters of the Schodack Central School District approved two propositions up for their consideration.

  • Proposition 1 Passed by a Vote of 192 (Yes) to 10 (No): Use $350,000 of 2015 Capital Reserve Funds for Maple Hill Gym Roof Repairs
  • Proposition 2 Passed by a Vote of 176 (Yes) to 25 (No): Permission to Create 2022 Capital Reserve Fund

“We are grateful to all the Schodack CSD community members who came out today and exercised their right to vote on these important propositions,” Superintendent Jason Chevrier said.

End of Update

On December 14, 2021, Schodack Central School District will hold a public vote for registered district residents to consider approval of the following. Approval of these two propositions would come at no additional cost to the taxpayer.

  • Proposition 1:  Permission to use $350,000 the district already has remaining in its 2015 Capital Reserve Fund for vital repairs and updates to the Maple Hill Jr/Sr High School Gym Roof
  • Proposition 2: Permission for the district to create a new Capital Reserve Fund (referred to below as “2022 Capital Reserve Fund”)

Voting

Public voting for these two propositions will take place on December 14, 2021, from 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM in the Maple Hill Gym (1216 Maple Hill Road).

Proposition 1: Permission to Use $350,000 of 2015 Capital Reserve Funds for Gym Roof Repairs

WHAT: In 2015, Schodack voters authorized the district to create a Capital Reserve Fund. The district asks to use $350,000 from the 2015 Fund to pay for vital repairs and updates to the Maple Hill High School Gym Roof. The district already has the $350,000 in the 2015 Fund, so voter approval would come at no additional cost to district taxpayers nor would it further raise their taxes. 

WHY: The roof is over 20 years old and has exceeded its useful life. It is important it is replaced as soon as possible since large areas of the existing fully-adhered rubber roof have already delaminated from the structure. Currently, the district has stabilized the roof with concrete pavers as ballast but this is not an ideal long-term solution.

WHEN: Having the public vote in December 2021 is critical to finishing work on the roof before Winter 2022-23. Voter approval in December factors in enough time for:

  1. The required NYS Education Dept. project permissions
  2. Enough time to accommodate an almost certain delay of raw materials due to supply chain issues affecting the construction industry.

Proposition 2: Permission to Create 2022 Capital Reserve Fund

WHAT IS A CAPITAL RESERVE FUND? Capital reserve funds are a place for districts to set aside savings at the end of the school year and help finance future repairs, maintenance and improvements. Creating any capital reserve fund requires authorization by a majority of district voters. They must approve the purpose of the fund, the ultimate amount that can go in it and its likely term. As with asking for voter approval to use money from the 2015 Fund for the gym roof, any future spending from the 2022 Fund must also be authorized by the voters.

WHY IS CREATING THE FUND IMPORTANT? By using money in the 2022 Fund to help pay for future projects, the district would reduce the amount of money it needs to borrow from NYS. Borrowing less money would reduce future impacts on voter taxes and reduce spending on interest payments of borrowed money. In these still uncertain times, the district believes it is in the best interest of both its students and taxpayers to establish the 2022 Fund.

HOW MUCH MONEY CAN BE SET ASIDE FOR THE FUND? The district could set aside up to $4 million in the fund over the next 10 years (the lifespan of the fund). If that amount is reached in that time, no more money could go into it.

WHERE WOULD THE MONEY FOR THE FUND COME FROM? Each school year the district makes a proposed budget that is an estimate of costs for the following school year. If budgeted spending is less than expected in a given school year, the surplus savings can be placed in the fund.

Currently, the district has more budget savings than in prior years due to a significant lack of spending in the 2020-2021 school year as a result of:

  1. Less spending on activities. There were very few in 20-21 due to COVID-19 precautions.
  2. Less spending in anticipation of cuts to NYS School Aid in the 20-21. These cuts ultimately did not occur but the district was cautious with its spending in the event they did.

Public Presentation Materials