The fate of the historic Stone Schoolhouse in Union Springs will soon be in the hands of taxpayers.

The Union Springs Central School District will hold a vote on Dec. 11 asking taxpayers to authorize a capital project to renovate the condemned 150-year-old schoolhouse on the middle/high school campus.

“The Stone Schoolhouse is probably the oldest facility in Union Springs,” said district superintendent Linda Rice. “It's very sentimental to the community. It's the insignia on all of our stationary. It's important to keep up the history of not only the community, but also the school district.”

Under the capital project - which, according to the district proposition, will not exceed $300,000 - the schoolhouse, formally deemed a fire hazard and an unsafe structure, would undergo renovations to make it fit for student use. The building would serve as the district's state-of-the-art media center, housing the current video technology course offered at the middle/high school as well as various other media and communications.

“Technology is very, very important,” Rice said. “It's not going to go way and to give our children that learning experience in a old stone schoolhouse would be a phenomenal opportunity.”

Rice and Business Manager Marge Robbins are still in the process of finalizing the cost of the project. About $238,000 in building aid units - the cost of construction of an educational facility by square foot - from the New York State Education Department was secured by Rice, Robbins and state Sen. Michael Nozzolio in July. That figure can increase or decrease depending on changes to construction costs, Robbins said. The district is also looking for extra consideration for technology and safety. The state aid would offset the cost to taxpayers.

The district is looking to have an exact number by week's end. A mailer will be sent to homes around Thanksgiving outlining the project and a public hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at the middle/high school's library.

If approved, this capital project will be the second since 2000. Voters authorized a $15 million project to, among other things, renovate science labs, build a new gymnasium, make an existing gymnasium into an auditorium and turning the original auditorium into a library at the middle/high school as well as maintenance work at A.J. Smith Elementary School and Cayuga Elementary School.

When the schoolhouse was condemned about a year ago, it became the responsibility of the district to either bring it up to code or demolish it. Last summer, the district was given an estimate of $65,000 to tear down the schoolhouse, $178,000 to bring the building up to code and $230,000 for student use, Rice said.

Rice is hopeful that, even though this will be the second capital project in eight years, the community will be supportive.

“I think the community is very attached to this building,” she said. “The amount of this project versus the $15 million is a pretty significant difference, and this is for a very specific purpose. I think that's why we involve the community in these decisions. My job is to provide information, to provide choices. I respect the decision of the community, certainly.”

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at alyssa.sunkin@lee.net or 253-5311 ext. 239.

If you go

What: Public Hearing, Stone Schoolhouse capital project

When: 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3

Where: Union Springs Middle/High School, 239 Cayuga St., Union Springs.

A public vote on the capital project will be from noon to 9 p.m. on Dec. 11 in the lobby of the middle/high school.