Columbia County closings, cancellations reported

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

GREENVILLE — When voters headed to the polls Tuesday to vote on the proposed $14.5 million capital project for the Greenville school district, they approved the measure by a large margin.

With 510 voters casting ballots, 398 voted in favor of approving the capital project, with 112 voting against it.

A second item on the ballot was whether to approve putting a high school student on the board of education, which also passed with overwhelming support with 413 “yes” votes and 93 “no” votes.

The $14,480,000 capital project includes improvements to the elementary, middle and high schools, with the bulk of the work slated for Scott M. Ellis Elementary School.

The project will be funded through capital reserve funds and an $11 million bond, but state aid that pays 72 cents on the dollar will cover the cost of the bond so the tax rate is not expected to rise as a result of the project, according to district officials.

Under 30% of the project cost will come from the district’s Capital Reserve Fund.

Many components of the project are aimed at making safety improvements and enhancing programming at the schools, District Superintendent Michael Bennett said.

“We’d like to thank the Greenville Central School District community for coming out to support the capital project that will significantly improve many of the teaching and learning spaces at the elementary, middle and high school levels,” Bennett said. “We look forward to the day students will have the opportunity to learn, and our educators will have the opportunity to teach, in these new spaces.”

At the elementary school, the project will include construction of a new multi-purpose gym addition, transforming an existing multi-purpose room into a new music suite, and turning another classroom into a new art room.

An existing pre-kindergarten classroom will be enlarged, with an in-class restroom installed, and classrooms in the front wing of the building would be renovated with new floors, refinished hardwood floors and new technology.

Safety improvements such as the creation of corridor connections leading to exit stairs on the first and second floors will also be made for use in potential emergencies.

Infrastructure improvements will include roof restoration, replacement of the heating system boiler, upgrades to ventilation in every classroom, electrical and plumbing improvements and masonry work on the building’s exterior.

Improvements at the middle/high school will include expansion of an art suite and other classroom renovations, with ventilation and a new exhaust fan added to the metal shop classroom and asbestos abatement in the band classroom. Exterior masonry work and roof repairs are also components of the project.

The $14,480,000 project budget includes $11,908,904 for work planned at the elementary school, and $2,571,096 at the middle/high school. Alternate “wish list” items that will be done if there is money left over come to $1,437,546.

To pay for the project, $2,600,500 would come from the district’s capital reserves, and $11,879,500 through a bond. The bond payments would be covered by state aid, according to Chris DeCarlo of Bernard P. Donegan Inc., the district’s bond consultant, who provided financial information during one of two public question-and-answer sessions the district held prior to the vote.

The district appreciates the community’s approval of the project, Bennett said.

“This vote comes after a long history of capital project approvals in the district,” Bennet said. “We truly appreciate the trust our school community has in our team. Now that the voters have approved the project, the work is just beginning. We will continue to keep the community apprised of the status of this project on our school website.”

With the project now approved by voters, the plans will next be finalized and submitted to the State Education Department for their approval. Work is expected to begin in May 2024 and is scheduled to be completed in November 2025.

For more information on the project and to view high-resolution renderings of the plans, visit www.greenvillecsd.org/page/capital-project-2022.