The East Hampton School District is planning to put a proposition on the May 16 budget ballot enabling it to withdraw $3,925,000 from its capital reserve account for several big-ticket projects, with one important asterisk.
“It doesn’t impact taxes,” explained Sam Schneider, assistant superintendent for business, because the money has already been set aside for uses just like this. All East Hampton needs is a simple majority of voter approval to be able to access the money.
The capital reserve, which Mr. Schneider compared to a savings account, is flush with over $6.35 million taken from end-of-year budget surpluses.
The $3.925 million proposal covers five capital-improvement projects that would impact all three of the district’s campuses plus the building and grounds department. The district wants to replace all the lockers and make hallway safety improvements at the middle school ($276,000); build a veranda with seating for students outside the high school cafeteria ($641,124); redo the parking lot at the high school ($434,880); renovate the parking lot and sidewalks and repair storm drains at the elementary school ($1.24 million), and add a bathroom, small fueling station, and paved roads to improve working conditions for the facilities crew ($978,456).
To ensure the projects aren’t threatened by the current inflationary conditions in the construction industry, Mr. Schneider is also budgeting an extra 10 percent, or $356,818. “Unused money flows back” into the capital reserve account, he said.
“We’re not going to be able to start right away,” he said. “It’s going to take time” to put out a public bid and get state and county approvals for the plan. “Until we go out to bid, prices will obviously rise.”
The school board members agreed that these improvements have been a long time coming.
“Most of these are repairs that are necessary,” Christina DeSanti, the school board vice president, commented.
Jackie Lowey, a board member, described the high-school veranda project as “a huge improvement for the students.”
The board is expected to vote on March 7 to finalize the ballot proposition, including the completion of a state-mandated environmental review that the district’s architect, Mike Guido, is preparing.