Residents Reject Capital Reserve Fund Proposition
A new wing will not be added onto Woodhull Intermediate School anytime soon after Huntington School District residents turned down a proposition that would have used $2 million held in a capital reserve fund account to construct up to six classrooms along with restroom facilities and a new hallway.
Tuesday's referendum drew a light turnout on a day that saw frequent periods of rain. Votes were quickly tabulated after the polls closed at 9 p.m. and district officials announced the proposition had been defeated, 863-624.
Had the proposal passed, architectural plans for an expansion of Woodhull School would have been sent to the State Education Department late this week. Once SED had approved the plans, the district would have solicited and awarded bids for the project. The work would not have required a tax increase or any borrowing since the Building Improvement Fund already contained all the monies that were needed.
It is unclear what will happen next. The district's Long Range Facilities Planning Committee will send its recommendations to the Huntington School Board soon. Trustees are not obligated to embrace the recommendations or to take any other action as a result of Tuesday's proposition being voted down.
"I'm sure that trustees will discuss the results and reflect upon them," Superintendent John J. Finello said. "It's premature to say where we might go from here."
The $2 million budget for the proposed Woodhull project would have covered $125,000 in architectural and engineering fees, $25,000 in soft costs such as inspections, testing and printing, $185,000 in design and construction contingency expenses, $100,000 for new electric service throughout the new and "old" sections of the building and $1.565 million for construction of a connecting corridor, new classrooms and boys' and girls' restrooms. The addition would have been located behind the existing structure, near the playground.
Construction costs had been estimated at roughly $250 per square foot, which would have yielded between 6,000-7,000 square feet of additional space, enough for as many as six new classrooms.
The district's Building Improvement Fund has been capitalized through the use of existing surplus budget monies, which through the use of conservative budgeting, economizing and tight fiscal management have not been needed to fund regular district operations. Monies in the fund can only be used for reconstruction, repair or renovation projects.
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