Huntington Voters to Decide on Capital Projects Proposition
When Huntington School District residents go to the polls on Tuesday, May 17 they will be asked to cast ballots on a capital projects proposition. The district is seeking permission to spend $684,000 from the building improvement fund to replace in-ground oil storage tanks at three schools and to finish numerous other projects.
The district's building improvement fund currently holds more than $4 million. It was established by voters in May 2008 and can only be used to finance renovation and reconstruction projects as approved by residents.
If voters support the release of the funds, taxes will not increase since the monies are already in place. The source of the funding is the annual transfer of surplus monies from the district's general fund.
Each of the current oil storage tanks is capable of holding 10,000 gallons of fuel. If the proposition passes, the tanks will be replaced with modern 8,000 gallons units. Architects estimate the cost of each replacement will run $215,000. Flower Hill opened in 1954, Jefferson swung its doors open for the first time in 1962 and Woodhull debuted in 1967.
"The original tanks have served us well, but it's time to replace them before we experience a serious leak," said David H. Grackin, assistant superintendent for finance and management services. Mr. Grackin said the district performs testing on the tanks each year and has earmarked these three tanks for replacement.
If the proposition passes the district will also be able to finish projects that up to this time have been exclusively paid for with state monies. The state's EXCEL (Expanding our Children's Education and Learning) program was authorized by the state legislature in 2007 for capital projects in the areas of health and safety, accessibility, physical capacity expansion, energy or education technology. Huntington's share amounted to $1,359,070. Residents approved a set of projects in May 2007 by a vote of 1,619-787.
The May 17 capital proposition allots $39,000 to finish a set of EXCEL program projects. The monies are needed due to various change orders as a result of unforeseen situations and unanticipated testing.
The projects over budget include replacement of the public address systems at Southdown ($2,619.19), Flower Hill ($1,924.13) and Jefferson ($248.60) schools, replacement of the Jack Abrams School fire alarm system ($717.16), asbestos abatement and replace of state wiring at J. Taylor Finley Middle School ($22,784.63) and Phase I of the rehabilitation of the parking lot at Huntington High School ($10,611.42).