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‘A big ask’ at Fredonia: District eyeing three propositions for capital improvements

OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen Alyssa Catlin, Associate of Young and Wright, spoke to members of the Fredonia Board of Education at a recent meeting to discuss capital improvements.

Several stakeholders have urged the Fredonia Central School District to propose a major capital project to voters later this year. As Fredonia softball coach Ed Schrantz said, “Go big or go home.”

Be careful what you wish for.

The District is planning to move forward with three propositions regarding capital improvements to the District at a vote in December. The propositions are centered around basic needs for the District’s buildings, enhanced music education and performance spaces, and athletic facilities upgrades. Those three propositions will total more than $50 million of work, which would result in a tax levy increase of nearly 10% each year for the next 15 years.

The District hopes for a substantial capital project to be approved by the voters in December. Looking ahead long-term, the District will also plan another project in four years when approximately $4.4 million in debt falls off. Then, a year after that, the District is eyeing another substantial project.

But this year is the big one — bigger than Young and Wright representatives can ever remember from a District. Alyssa Catlin, Associate of Young and Wright, called the proposed increase, “probably the highest that I have ever seen in my years of doing this. That is definitely a big ask.”

At a recent workshop, Fredonia Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox listened to Young and Wright architects discuss the financial impact of a potential capital project to address the needs of the District.

At a recent workshop meeting, the Fredonia Board of Education discussed plans for three propositions at a December vote. Each subsequent proposition is contingent on its prior propositions passing.

BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS

The first proposition is called the “Warm, Safe and Dry” proposition, which calls for $21.3 million of necessary upgrades to the District’s existing structures. Of that $21.3 million, $15.76 million of needs are located at the main campus, including $7.27 million in roofing improvements only pertaining to the most dire areas of the roofs. Mechanical system upgrades of $4.73 million and electrical system upgrades of $3.54 million are also deemed necessary to do within the next capital project, with less pressing needs potentially pushed back to one of the two upcoming projects down the road. Between $10-13 million of roofing improvements are needed in the near future, as well.

The District was put in such a tough spot because of how many roofing and maintenance items were replaced at one time with a major capital project in 2000. The District has not had a project to that scale since then, with many of the roofs not replaced since they were installed in 2000. Young and Wright urged the District to break up the replacement to focus on only the dire areas now, while maintaining the other areas over the next 4-5 years until they can be replaced with a later project.

Also included in the first proposition is $1.4 million allocated to a new playground. The District conducted an audit of its playgrounds at both the Elementary School and the Wheelock School, and determined there are issues with accessibility and age appropriate equipment. While the new playground would not be considered extravagant, Young and Wright architects feel $1.4 million will fully address the District’s needs.

Pictured is a rendering for a multi-purpose, synthetic turf athletic complex at the main campus of Fredonia Central Schools. The $17.7 million complex would require a tax levy increase of nearly 10% when combined with other District needs.

The first proposition is an anticipated increase to the tax levy of 1.69%, as the majority of the work is eligible to receive aid from New York state.

MORE FOR MUSIC

After the fate of the first proposition is determined, the next area of concern to be addressed is the music department’s needs for enhanced education and performance spaces.

Planned renovations for the music department spaces include a 1,930 square foot band room, a 1,200 square foot space for the orchestra, and a 930 square foot space for the chorus. Also included are five offices or group spaces and five practice rooms.

The renovations to accommodate the music department will be done within the existing footprint of the campus, which will not impact the District’s State aid calculations. The current print shop will be utilized for the expansion, with the floor infilled, the roof raised, and windows installed.

“I like that we’re doing this for the music department,” Board of Education member Sheila Hahn said, noting the success of the District’s music programs over the years and the positive impression the performances left on the audience at the recent graduation ceremony.

Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox responded to Hahn’s comments by stating, “They have earned what they would like to receive.”

The $10 million music department proposition is an anticipated increase to the tax levy of 1.14%, as the majority of the work is eligible to receive aid from New York State. Combined with the first proposition, for all of the “warm, safe, and dry” items to be addressed along with the music department renovations, the tax levy increase will be 2.83%, with all work receiving State aid.

Regarding a substantial project proposal, Fredonia Band Director Andy Bennett previously said, “I don’t envy you with the decision, but I hope you will give the community a chance to vote. If they vote on a large project and it doesn’t pass, I will absolutely respect the will of our neighbors and friends, but I really want to give them the chance.”

FIELD OF DREAMS

Finally, if both propositions pass, the third proposition on the vote is related to athletic fields. The District will be seeking $17.7 million to install a multi-purpose, synthetic turf athletic complex on the land behind the main campus. Additionally, $1.6 million will be needed to replace the District’s tennis courts, including full depth replacement and fencing.

The multi-purpose complex will be usable for baseball, softball, football and soccer games, with baseball and softball fields separated enough to allow for games to be held simultaneously. Grandstand bleachers will be installed, along with a press box, goal posts, dugouts, backstops, portable bleachers and portable fences for baseball and softball. The complex would also feature a sound system. Parking will be available for 150 vehicles and approximately 1,000 guests can be accommodated at any given time. However, a concession stand and restroom facility would not be included, and would also not be eligible for State aid if those facilities were to be constructed.

The other notable development along the lines of athletic facilities is that the District will be moving away from the Orange Bowl once an alternative is established. Young and Wright representatives estimate decommissioning costs of the Orange Bowl to be $250,000.

The District evaluated upgrades to the Orange Bowl rather than moving to the main campus, but the site was restrictive to accommodating sports other than football or soccer. The site is also prone to flooding, and to make the necessary upgrades to be safe and playable year round, retaining walls would be needed in every direction. The District deemed these needs cost prohibitive.

Where the District taxpayers take the biggest hit is with the athletic facilities proposition. While the first two propositions feature little to no unaided work, building an athletic complex is an entirely different story.

BREAKING IT DOWN

According to the building aid ratio from New York State, Fredonia is allowed $63 million in total work at the main campus and $16 million in total work at the Wheelock campus to receive State aid. However, of the $63 million at the main campus, only $12 million can be used on site work and incidentals. The same is the case at Wheelock, where only $3 million can be allocated to site work and incidentals. A new athletic complex would come from the site work and incidental portion of the aid ratio. The District is reimbursed for building aid by New York State at a rate of 82.7%, but once those thresholds are surpassed, all remaining work is not eligible for aid.

Catlin explained, “The reason the last (proposition) is so much more felt by your taxpayers is because almost $12 million of it is unaided work because you’re above the threshold.”

If the third proposition is rejected by voters, the District will reevaluate its options with the potential of an additional proposal later on, focusing on addressing each field separately. The Board is hesitant to do so because it does not want to prioritize the needs of one sport over another.

Additional items the District is evaluating adding to one of the three proposals are athletic track resurfacing, which would cost approximately $350,000 and increase the tax levy by a total of $10,000; decommissioning of the Orange Bowl at $250,000 with an increase of $5,000 to the tax levy; and air conditioning installation for the District Auditorium at a cost of $1.2 million and an increase to the tax levy of $25,000. All three items are eligible for State aid.

Another item added on the list by the District is a renovation to the maintenance building, which is in dire need of repair due to water entering the facility through the roof and exterior walls. The cost to the District is $410,000, but it was not included in the initial “warm, safe, and dry” proposal because the work is not eligible for State aid, when the rest of the “warm, safe, and dry” proposal is State aid eligible. The maintenance building renovations would add $35,000 to the tax levy.

If Proposition 1 includes the track resurfacing and the maintenance building renovation, the total cost of the proposition would exceed $22 million, with a tax levy increase of 1.95%.

Proposition 2, with auditorium air conditioning attached, would be $11.2 million in cost, with an increase of 1.29% on top of the 1.95% increase attached to Proposition 1, for a total increase of approximately 3.25%. That figure matches the voter-approved increase of the 2023-2024 school budget, which was the largest increase in more than a decade by a substantial margin. The budget was later adjusted to lower the figure to 2.99%. The 2024-2025 school budget shows a tax levy increase of 1.71%.

For all add-ons including Proposition 3, with a multi-purpose turf field, renovated tennis courts, and the Orange Bowl decommissioned, $19.5 million would be tacked on to the total project cost, which brings the overall figure to $52.8 million and a tax levy increase of over 9.8%.

Speaking to the needs of both music and athletics, now-former Athletic Director Greg Lauer said, “Our students deserve more in music and athletics. We have very successful teams; we have very successful music programs; and we have just continually fallen behind in terms of what our athletes and our music students deserve.” Lauer has since departed from the District for a new position at the Southwestern Central School District.

The District also plans to distribute a poll to District stakeholders to gauge the likelihood of each proposition passing.

High School Principal Darrin Paschke previously said, “Schools that have gotten really great things for their kids have gone out with really big asks, and they have gotten them. I don’t want to be afraid to go out to our community with a big ask, because you know it’s a no if you don’t ask for it.”

The next Fredonia Board of Education meeting will be July 16 at 6 p.m., where public comments are welcomed by the Board. The next workshop meeting with architects from Young and Wright is Aug. 6 at 4 p.m.

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