School district to suggest building improvements

PINE PLAINS — The school district is considering $3.3 million in building projects, but school Superintendent Linda Kaumeyer said the projects would be paid for by borrowing funds and through state EXCEL aid, which would increase school taxes only slightly.

Kaumeyer said the capital projects are necessary to continue to implement the district’s five-year plan to address the repair and maintenance of the school buildings in the district. If the projects are approved by the school board, the expenditures would then have to be approved by local voters at the May 20 school budget ballot.

Projects include the installation of an emergency generator in Stissing Mountain Middle/High School, which would provide power in case of an emergency. The second project includes drainage repairs and upgrades at Seymour Smith Elementary School, where drainage problems have been reported. Also, a masonry reconstruction project is scheduled to take place at that school.

"It is important to purchase the generator because [the high school] is a Red Cross emergency shelter," Kaumeyer said. "EXCEL funds are designated funds the district can potentially receive from the state for safety-related capital improvements. How much the district receives depends on the rate the state’s education department reviews projects. Due to the backlog of projects at the department, we are not anticipating that the projects will begin this summer. But in order to move as quickly as possible, we are preparing this for the voters."

The district is still in the process of determining the school budget for the 2008-09 school year.

Because Webutuck High School has been designated as an emergency Red Cross shelter, the Webutuck school district has been trying to find a way to purchase an emergency generator for some time with little success.