WEEDSPORT - The Weedsport Board of Education passed a resolution Oct. 5 to get voter approval for a $2,500,000 Excel Capital Project.

Eight community members showed up to the board's second project information session Monday. Superintendent Shaun O'Connor, business administrator Phil Grome, board president Norm Chirco and board members Timothy Lally and Mary Kae Brentlinger were at the session to field questions from the audience.

The project, according to a press release from O'Connor, will pose “no direct impact” to taxpayers. Between the $307,000 the district is eligible to receive from the Excel Capital Project state funding program and the district's state building aid rate, 87.8 percent, the project should “eliminate the local share,” according to the press release.

The aid money is set aside for schools based on their enrollment and is a one-time aid package to be used for specific categories of work, said O'Connor.

The district will borrow some money for the project, but the building aid it receives will pay for the bonding of the project, said Grome. Because everyone in New York state pays taxes, Grome said, taxpayers will pay only indirectly, through taxes, for the project.

The project would include roof work at the both the junior/senior high school and the elementary school. It would also include asbestos abatement and locker room renovations at the junior/senior high school, according to the press release.

At the session, the audience had a chance to see photos of roofs, electrical panels and locker rooms that need updating. Some of these areas have not been updated since the 1950s, said O'Connor.

“As a school community, we have an obligation to address health and safety matters with regard to our facilities,” said Grome in the press release. “The Excel monies are designed to allow schools to make critical improvements without directly burdening the local taxpayer.”

The project is being pursued because of the results of the district's Building Condition Survey, according to the press release. Also, some asbestos is in the buildings, but is not dislodged, said Grome. The purpose of removing it safely with the proposed project is to avoid letting it become a problem later, should some event release the asbestos from the structures.

“The eventual goal is for all buildings (in the school district) to be asbestos-free,” said Grome. “It's for the safety of our students and staff.”

The district's asbestos management plan is available for review during regular business hours in the district office, according to the Weedsport school Web site. Those interested in viewing the plan should contact Grome at 834-6637.

To secure the state Excel funding, the project must address one or more of five categories: energy savings, accessibility, health and safety, educational technology and physical expansion. Voter approval is also necessary in order to receive the funding. The district plans to hold a referendum vote, slated for noon to 9 p.m. Dec. 1 in the voting room at the junior/senior high school building.

Before the vote, the district will offer one more public information session. Community members can attend to ask questions, voice concerns and learn more about the project. The district's architectural firm, King & King Architects, and its construction management firm, C & S, will be present at the final session.

Staff writer Kelly Voll can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or kelly.voll@lee.net