Roof vote Jan. 23

 

Voters will be given the opportunity next week to sound off on a proposed capital project within the Whitehall Central School District.

The district will present to voters a $240,000 proposal to remove and replace roofs over the swimming pool and cafeteria at the high school.

A public vote will be held on the project from noon to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 23, inside the Large Group Instructional room at the high school.

The vote will also include a proposal to purchase one 41-passenger school bus and one 65-passenger school bus. The cost of those purchases is not to exceed $220,000.

The roof will be paid for using monies from an unreserved portion of its general fund balance that are leftover from a previous capital project.
Similarly, the purchase of the school buses would be paid for using monies from an unreserved portion of its general fund balance leftover from previous years’ bus purchases.

If approved, the capital project would be the latest in a number of improvements made to the high school over the last several years.

Last winter, the district completely renovated the high school auditorium, including the replacement of that roof after voters approved the $625,000 project.

In 2009, voters overwhelmingly approved the complete renovation of the high school gymnasium.

Both projects involved areas of the school used heavily by the community. A number of community events and organizations are held annually in the auditorium and gymnasium, and the pool is used frequently by different community groups.

Superintendent James Watson said neither the replacement of the roof or the purchase of buses would affect taxes because they would be paid for using monies already earmarked for similar uses.