Hornell City School District plans $32M capital project. What to know before you vote
Hornell City School District residents will head to the polls Tuesday to vote on a $32 million capital project that would feature improvements to the 100-year-old Intermediate School and other buildings.
Voting will take place from noon to 9 p.m. on Dec. 20, in the lobby of Hornell High School.
Because Hornell is a small city school district, the proposal must earn at least 60% voter approval to pass.
Hornell's $32 million capital project is the first phase of a 10-year plan
The $32,040,000 proposal represents the first phase of what the school district expects to be a three-phase effort to address building issues that were identified in a 2018-19 Facilities Comprehensive Plan.
Each phase of the overall plan will require approval by city school district voters. Phase 2 is expected to come before voters next year or in 2024, while the final phase of the 10-year facilities improvement plan is estimated to come to a vote in 2027.
“The master plan has been created after much thought, consideration and feedback from various stakeholders within the school district," Hornell School Superintendent Jeremy Palotti said in the district's fall newsletter.
What the $32 million project will include
If approved by voters, the majority of the work will involve improvements at the Intermediate School, which celebrated its 100th birthday during the 2021-22 academic year.
Under the plan, Intermediate School classroom sizes will be reconfigured, the main office and the nurse's office will be renovated and mechanical and electrical equipment throughout the building will be modernized.
A two-story classroom addition is also planned at the Intermediate School, maintaining the number of classrooms currently available in the building while increasing room sizes.
Hornell voters have shown support for renovations at the Intermediate School. According to the district, 72% of respondents supported the proposed renovations at the school in a May 2022 budget vote exit poll.
The capital project also includes improvements at the Junior-Senior High School and North Hornell Elementary School.
At the high school, plans call for updates to the seventh- and eighth-grade wing, including bathrooms, the replacement of the athletic field turf and the reconstruction of the existing tennis courts, which are severely damaged and currently condemned.
The North Hornell work includes replacing the north entry canopy as well as an aging roof.
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No tax increase as a result of the project
"Through stewardship of district resources, we have been able to save funds to limit the tax impact of this work while at the same time improving the facilities to provide a state-of-the-art educational experience for our students," Palotti said.
District officials said the project would have no effect on the local tax rate. Hornell is reimbursed at a 95% to 98% rate by New York state for capital construction costs that are aid-eligible and savings from the capital reserve will be applied to the aspects of the project that do not receive state aid.
The district plans to use $4,150,000 from its existing capital reserve fund and raise up to $27,890,000 from Bond Anticipation Notes for the project.
How to learn more about Hornell's capital project
The district's November newsletter includes additional details about the capital project plans.
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This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Hornell school district's $32M capital project plan set for vote
