Proposition approval would fix leaking roofs, leaking boilers, sagging ceilings and more

A leaking, asbestos-lined boiler. Broken front doors. A leaking roof that has forced students to dance around buckets while lining up for lunch. A 1,000-gallon, electric-fired hot water heater that “burns” cash. A falling ceiling. Even an odoriferous and potentially unsanitary leech field.

These are just some of the conditions that would be fixed through repair or replacement if RCS district voters approve two propositions going before them on October 9. Residents will head to the voting booths in the High School gymnasium from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. that day to vote on three propositions:

• Proposition 1 seeks approval to spend $2,353,243 to improve the safety and energy efficiency of the district’s four schools. The projects would receive nearly 100 percent in state aid through a one-time state program, called EXCEL. The grant program covers the cost of capital projects traditionally shouldered by taxpayers, leaving only interest costs for RCS taxpayers to cover. Those projected cost, said Interim Business Administrator Gene Grasso, would average less than  $10,000 a year for 15 years.
• Proposition 2 seeks voter approval to spend $390,000 to replace the leaky roof of the bus garage and install a more energy efficient boiler and a fuel monitoring device. The work is eligible for standard 70 percent state aid that would reduce the projected cost to taxpayers of the project to $10,327 a year. 
• Proposition 3 seeks a voter recommendation on candidates for the ninth seat on the Board of Education.

Energy efficiency in gas

Perhaps one of the most cost-efficient projects proposed is the piping of natural gas to allow its use in the middle school.

The building is currently the only one in the district without natural gas and relies solely on the more costly energy source of electricity to provide heat and hot water to the food preparation areas, as well as faculty, staff and students.

The $110,000 cost to install natural gas service to the building would allow the district to replace the three-decade-old electric-fired hot water heater heating system with a natural gas fired system, as well as a separate electric hot water heater for the kitchen.

Additionally, the new natural gas service would allow the district to replace out-dated electric air conditioning/heating units for the library and cafeteria, thereby providing additional savings to taxpayers, said interim facilities director Jeff Clemens.

In the high school, work would include the $288,000 replacement of the leaking roof over the cafeteria wing that last year led to the placement of buckets and garbage cans in the hallway outside the cafeteria. This summer, new leaks appeared in the food preparation area and had to be addressed immediately – through a temporary fix ­– in order to meet state health department requirements. 

 Other projects include:

• Replacing faulty thermal windows at a cost of $414,000 with energy efficient models that reduce heating costs and provide a warmer classroom environment in the winter. 
• Replacement of one of the two leech fields which is failing, leading to over-saturated, potentially unsanitary and at times odiferous ground.
• Replacement of door handles and locks which do not meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines
• Replacement of main entrance doors which fail and could pose a safety problem in an emergency and reconstruction of the gymnasium ceiling which is sagging in areas.
• Expansion of the loading dock which is too small to fully accommodate new trucks bringing supplies to the school.

It’s elementary

In A.W. Becker and Pieter B. Coeymans elementary schools, approval of proposition 1 would mean the replacement of decades-old asbestos-lined hot water heaters, which at A.W.B, is leaking. More energy efficient piping would be installed in the boiler rooms as well. Nearly $250,000 would be spent at each school.

Unique opportunity

State building aid already pays for 70 percent of the cost of most RCS construction work.  In

2006, the state Legislature created a new short-term form of building aid called EXCEL (Expanding Children’s Education  and Learning) that is meant to cover local taxpayer costs. Legislators agreed to send $1.8 billion of EXCEL aid to the New York City Schools to begin settling the long-standing Campaign for Fiscal Equity court case. At the same time they set aside $800 million in EXCEL aid to be shared by the 700-some public school districts outside of New York City.

Because of this unique opportunity, RCS is able to propose a $2.35 million capital project that would cost taxpayers only approximately $15,000 a year for 15 years.

Didn’t we just complete a capital project?

The district completed in 2005 a capital project that upgraded many of the districts’ facilities and provided expanded facilities students and the community.

However, as a result of unforeseen material price increases, construction issues and the like, the district was forced to cut some of the projects from that Capital Project as work advanced.

When this unique opportunity to access additional state aid to complete the much needed work came about as a result of state legislation, the Board of Education decided to place the project before voters.

 Proposition 2 – the bus garage

“When it rains the water runs down the wall through the drop ceiling and pools on the floor near my desk,” said Transportation Director Janice Prior, describing the need to replace the decades-old roof at the bus garage.

Roof replacement of the bus garage is the major aspect of proposition 2 on the October 9 ballot.

Other work called for in the project includes installation of a fuel-monitoring device and reconstruction of the fuel island, as well as replacement of the building’s antiquated boiler.

Unlike proposition 1, the bus garage work is not eligible for state EXCEL aid, though it would still be eligible for the standard state building aid, which covers 70 percent of the cost. That would reduce the total cost to taxpayers of the project to $10,327 a year.

“What is being proposed would solve some major problems RCS has been dealing with at little cost – approximately $25,000 combined – annually to district taxpayers,” said Superintendent Vicki Wright. “For comparisons sake, we just spent $14,000 to provide a short-term fix to the leaky cafeteria wing.”

At the same time, approval of these propositions would provide a savings to taxpayers not only in terms of reducing maintenance costs, but also reducing energy costs in all four school buildings, as well as the bus garage.