Waterville Central School District residents will have the opportunity in February to vote on a capital project proposal designed to address critical facility needs, such as adding conditioned air to MPS and replacing the Jr./Sr. High School’s roof which is beginning to fail and sections are leaking.
The total cost and final scope of work still needs to be determined, but the project will be tax neutral, meaning there will be no additional tax impact on local residents. The proposal, which is scheduled to go before voters on Feb. 11, would be covered by a combination of New York State Building Aid and funds from the district’s capital reserve, which is like a savings account for facility projects.
The project is timed so that debt service from past capital projects will soon be retired, and the local share to be paid by taxes for the proposed capital improvement project would be similar to the local share that is currently being paid on the retiring debt – thus resulting in no increase to the tax levy to support the proposed project.
“Although facility care and maintenance is addressed on a daily basis, years of use and changing demands in security, energy efficiency, educational delivery and technology integration within the classroom and building infrastructure require capital improvement projects outside the scope of routine facility stewardship,” Superintendent Dr. Spring said.
On Nov. 12 the Waterville Board of Education voted on C&S Companies to lead the proposed project.
C&S Companies is headquartered in Syracuse and was founded in 1968, the organization is known nationwide for client-focused engineering, architecture, planning, environmental, and construction services. Damian Zombek, a fellow Waterville Alumni and local resident, will be the project construction manager. Zombek brings over 28 years of experience in construction management overseeing diverse building projects.
“We at C&S Companies are thrilled to have been selected in assisting the management of continual improvements seen at the Waterville Central School District,” said Zombek. “We are excited to support its visions of strengthening its educational facilities through capital improvement initiatives, and look forward to a long-term partnership.”
The proposed project would fund the district’s highest priority projects as identified in the 2022 Building Condition Survey, which is a state-required plan that identifies aging, outdated or energy inefficient school infrastructure and facilities issues. The district’s architects, March Associates Architects, have helped to identify needs across all school buildings and grounds.
“The survey results, insights from the architects, and discussions with the Capital Project Committee have directly informed the potential scope for the proposed project,” Dan Nichols, Board of Education President said. “A capital project will allow the district to keep pace and proactively get ahead of changing demands and needs to ensure our students are learning in the best possible educational environment.”
The board anticipates finalizing and approving the project scope at its December meeting.