ELBRIDGE - Every building in the Jordan-Elbridge Central School District and several athletic fields will get a facelift in the next few years if voters authorize $27 million in school renovations next month.

The district is asking taxpayers to go to the polls Thursday, Dec. 11, to voice their opinion on a proposed capital project dealing with instruction, athletics, infrastructure and drainage.

But while this project may closely resemble the one the district postponed after voters defeated its proposed 2008-09 school budget in May, district administration and the board of education in the months that followed went through the project with a fine-toothed comb, ensuring that only the most vital items were included.

“After our budget went down, we thought it was probably wise to study the project and assess the current climate of how people were feeling in the district,” Superintendent Marilyn Dominick said, “and then make a decision whether to put it up sooner rather than later.”

Through that process - and the December 2006 roofing project coming in well under budget, providing funding for brick and masonry work initially embedded in the new project - the district was able to trim about $2 million from the project, originally slated for $28.9 million.

“We sharpened our pencils and went back through,” she said. “Are there things in here that we absolutely should live without, that are nice things to do but should we back off on that? And we did.”

But there are still renovations that need to be done immediately, she said, and are broken down into three propositions.

The first proposition, not to exceed $21,901,000, will deal with campus renovations and infrastructure upgrades. While work will be completed in all schools, extensive upgrades are expected at the high school.

The district is looking to add spaces for a new technology/engineering curriculum as a way to introduce underclassmen interested in manufacturing and technology before they are eligible for the Cayuga-Onondaga Board of Cooperative Educational Services as upperclassmen.

Spaces will be added for special education and physical fitness. The auditorium, kitchen and serving area, science labs and art rooms will be upgraded and high school administrative offices will be relocated to the front of the building. A new concession stand, restrooms and locker rooms will also be constructed.

Also in the project is removing the existing above-ground waste water treatment plant and installing a septic system as well as moving the storm water basin about 500 feet east of the campus.

The second proposition, not to exceed $3,387,000, is for athletic and marching band improvements. The district is proposing that all varsity outdoor fields become consolidated at the high school whereas currently lacrosse, soccer, softball and baseball are played on either the Jordan or Elbridge campuses, where there are no bathrooms or concession facilities.

Should taxpayers approve, baseball and softball fields as well as competition a grass field for soccer, lacrosse, football and marching band will be constructed, the track will be resurfaced, drainage will be installed on high school fields, and lighting will be installed on all tennis courts.

The third proposition calls for the installation of an all-weather field at a cost of no more than $1,760,000. While initially the district intended on building a new field for the all-weather surface, the changing economic climate changed those plans. Instead, the surface will be installed on an existing field, Dominick said.

Both propositions two and three are contingent upon passage of the first.

Most of the project is between 78 and 81 percent aidable - not everything in the project is aidable - and to reduce the tax burden on local taxpayers, the district will use $438,892 of EXCEL aid and more than $500,000 from the capital reserve fund to lower the borrowing requirement.

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