To view the designed article with photos and text visit the following link: https://5il.co/1ra83
Text in the article is located below:
By a vote of 192-127, Newark Central School District residents approved a proposition in a special election March 21, that will not raise taxes, but increase by $5 million the amount of money that can be borrowed to complete a $15.4 million capital project approved by voters February 8, 2022.
The project will address boiler, air conditioning and related improvements in all five school district buildings.
Ed Gnau, NCSD Assistant Superintendent for Business said the $20,430,000 project will include installing air conditioning at Lincoln, Perkins and Kelley Schools, as well as HVAC work at the High School and Middle School to allow for the possibility of installing air conditioning at those locations in the future.
“It will provide filtered and cleaner air for the students at the elementary levels as well as a more conducive learning environment for the students in these buildings,” he said. “These three buildings are multi-story buildings so in the spring, summer and early fall are much warmer for students in the upper levels than one story buildings. The project will replace the aging boilers in all five of our instructional buildings as they are needing more repairs each year to prepare for the heating season and repair work during the heating season.”
Gnau explained the March 21st special election was held after learning bids for similar projects in other New York State school districts have recently been coming in higher than anticipated levels.
He said the NCSD’s Facilities/Safety Committee _ made up of Board of Education members Brad Steve, (BOE President), Julie Nevelizer, (Board Vice President), Scott Verbridge, Matt Burgess and Mike Steve, NCSD Director of Facilities _ was apprised of bids for similar projects coming in higher than anticipated levels throughout the state during a mid-February meeting with an architect from Gordon Jones Associates/Architects and Watchdog Building Partners, the district’s project management firm.
Rather than scaling back the capital project, committee members decided they would rather hold a special vote to receive approval to borrow an additional $5,000,000 that would ensure the project could be fully completed if bids came in higher than anticipated when they are received March 22, 2023.
“Just as the architect had suggested, the bids did come in higher than anticipated when they were opened March 22, Gnau said. “This positive vote will not change the scope of the work that will be done in the project but should allow the full completion as approved by the voters on February 8, 2022.”