The proposal is set to include the construction of a new turf athletic field for lacrosse, as well as auditorium and library upgrades and crucial maintenance needs, including several roof replacements.

“We’re really excited about this project scope,” Superintendent Dr. Robert Anderson said.

While the proposed project totals $44.5 million of work, the district anticipates no additional tax impact on its residents. To encompass all of the proposed work with no tax increase to residents, the district would utilize $9.5 million of Capital Reserve funds, along with $9.1 million of Native American Aid and $340,000 in Excel Aid, added to the State Building Aid amount of $25.56 million.

Young and Wright associates Alyssa Catlin, Matt Cummings, and Rick Krouse presented the Capital Project proposal to the Gowanda Board of Education at a recent meeting. A team from Young and Wright, including Catlin, designed a similar Capital Project this past year for the Fredonia Central School District. Where Gowanda’s proposal differs from Fredonia’s, however, is that Gowanda is not asking for a tax increase to fund the project.

Submitted Photo A $10.2 million turf lacrosse field is part of the Gowanda Central School District’s proposed capital project.

In contrast, Fredonia’s proposal last year called for $52 million of work, spread across three separate propositions — crucial maintenance needs, music department needs, and athletic department needs. The project would have carried a 10% tax increase to residents had all three propositions passed. Voters dramatically rejected the second and third propositions of that proposal, while narrowly approving Proposition 1 at a 1.9% tax increase.

Gowanda hopes for a much better fate with its proposal. The district is targeting a vote date for this winter, on Dec. 9, for the proposed project. Board of Education resolutions pertaining to the project would likely be issued in October. New York State approval is targeted in early 2027, with construction likely to begin in 2028, if approved.

“You guys have done a great job preparing for this,” Catlin said to the Gowanda Board of Education.

The Gowanda Central School District has a State Building Aid reimbursement rate of 95.4% on aid-eligible work. That means that of every $1,000 spent in a Capital Project, $954 will be reimbursed by the State, as long as the work is eligible for State Aid. The district can fund the project at its onset before the Building Aid reimbursement comes through thanks, in part, to healthy reserves that were recently deemed excessive by the State Comptroller. The district’s Native American Aid also assists in the process because that money is provided upfront, which can then be allocated to the costs of the project before the Building Aid reimbursement comes in.

In the district’s latest Building Conditions Survey, a total of $70 million of necessary improvements were identified over the next 10 years at Gowanda Central Schools. Those improvements were prioritized into short-term and long-term areas of improvement to be addressed in the upcoming Capital Project proposal, future proposals of similar size, and annual Capital Outlay projects.

For the purpose of a Capital Project proposal this upcoming winter, the remaining five-year maximum cost allowance at the Middle/High School campus is $40 million, with $8 million of that figure dedicated to incidentals, including site work, architectural fees, and administrative fees. On that same timeline, the Elementary School campus carries a maximum cost allowance of $19.1 million, with $3.3 million of that figure dedicated to incidentals. The total amount of work at those sites over a five-year period cannot surpass those limits for the district to remain eligible for State Aid.

As a result, the district is eyeing a proposal of $44.5 million, with $32 million of work targeted for the Middle/High School campus and $12.5 million of work at the Elementary School campus.

“I think we have a pretty firm presentation to the Board at this point,” Anderson said. “I recommend that we go forward with this as our rough outline.”

Among the work at the Middle/High School campus is a $10.2 million turf lacrosse field, including stadium lights, bleachers that seat 500 people, a scoreboard, netting behind the crease, and fencing around the perimeter. The field’s primary design would be for lacrosse, but it could be utilized as a football field, as well, especially for practices and youth contests.

The turf field would be located between the baseball field and the softball field, next to the Middle School, district office, and district pool. Installing a turf field would mitigate weather-related concerns to extend the playing seasons. It would also allow for increased opportunities for instructional use during the school day.

Other improvements at the Middle/High School campus include $7.4 million in mechanical upgrades, $5.8 million in roof replacements, $4.3 million in auditorium upgrades, $2.9 million in various other items. Improvements at the Elementary School campus include $5.5 million in mechanical upgrades, $2.8 million in roof replacements, $1.5 million to renovate the library, and roughly $800,000 in various other items.

The auditorium improvements include theatrical lighting installation, seat replacements, flooring and audio control improvements, stage rigging safety improvements, and a renovation to the lobby. The library renovation would be similar to the Middle/High School library improvements made during the last capital project.

Maintenance needs at each building are classified as warm, safe, and dry improvements. Some of the most crucial needs that are targeted in the project include roofs at both buildings that were installed in 2001. Replacing those roofs with this project will ensure warranty coverage at both buildings. The other roofs identified in the Building Conditions Survey, installed in 2006 and 2007, will be targeted for replacement in a future project.

At the Middle/High School campus, targeted improvements include the replacement of deteriorated stairs, ramps and the loading dock, as well as elevator modernization and the addressing of cracks in the gym walls. Boilers and cooling systems at the Middle/High School will also be replaced.

Mechanical upgrades at the Elementary School include a data room cooling system, as well as flooring upgrades throughout the Elementary School, including the Elementary cafeteria.

The district is also targeting lead mitigation and piping replacements at both campuses, including the addition of a water filter at the Middle/High School campus. Other improvements at both campuses include the replacement of the district’s 25-year-old remote terminal units and humidity mitigation measures.

Additionally, $1.4 million is allocated for parking lot improvements at the Middle/High School, while $1.9 million is allocated for parking lot improvements at the Elementary School. One major improvement included in the project is a new drop-off loop and parking lot at Gowanda Elementary School, designed to make drop-off and pick-up safer and more efficient. The interior loop of the Middle/High School will also be replaced.

Following a public hearing at its most recent meeting, the Gowanda Board of Education approved the use of up to $400,000 in Repair Reserve funds to make necessary improvements to parking lots throughout the district.

As the district evaluated its parking lots and drop-off loops, visible cracks were uncovered in the pavement once the surface was removed. The binder will need to be replaced at several spots throughout the district. Areas most impacted include the main lot at the High School and the Middle School bus loop.

The full extent of the work is yet to be determined, but the Board authorized up to $400,000 of Repair Reserve funds to be allocated. Only the amount needed to cover the necessary work will be spent.

The reserve account was funded with $1.5 million in 2024, then again with an additional $1.25 million this past May. Funds were previously utilized for the pool project and the track, leaving approximately $1.36 million remaining prior to the new pavement project. By utilizing the Repair Reserve to fix the pavement throughout the district, it allows for other areas of improvement to be prioritized in the Capital Project proposal.

Regarding public reaction to the proposal, Catlin said to the Board, “You guys will have a pulse in the next month, for sure. What you’re hearing and feeling the conversation is, you will know what’s best to do. You will know a month from now, and you will still have time to respond and prepare.”