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CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. The Croton-Harmon School District will ask voters to approve use of $3.3 million from the district's capital reserve fund on Jan. 24. The plan uses money from the districts capital reserve fund, essentially the districts savings account, for buildings improvements.
The projects will not affect taxes in any way, since the district already has the money, school officials said. The district is eligible for up to 21 percent reimbursement over 20 years through the State of New York for capital improvements.
Voters must still approve the districts use of the capital reserve fund, a type of savings account, which was originally created by voters. All of the capital improvements will be made from the fund, which in large part came from saving state aid from past building projects.
One of the biggest projects will fit air conditioning into Croton-Harmon High Schools auditorium, a notoriously oppressive space in the school. If anyone has come into the auditorium in the late spring or early fall, you know how stifling it is, said Alan Capasso, high school principal.
Other projects at the high school include upgrading the stage area, which Capasso said students call the dungeon, and widening the traffic circle at the front of the school.
The districts 27-year-old transportation building would be upgraded in the plan. The building houses nearly triple the 20 employees for which it was designed. Every inch of that building is tight, said Diane Chaissan, director of business and finance for the district.
The high school was the only one in the district found inadequate during the districts most recent building conditions survey.
Upgrades at Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School would address crumbling masonry, erosion and drainage issues, and a back exit used during fire drills. When you open both doors you block half the exit and it is really a dangerous situation, said Principal Barbara Ulm at a recent school board meeting.
The middle school and the high school would have bathrooms upgraded to be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. Also, Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School's front bus circle would be redone, so that buses no longer run over the curb.
The vote will take place in the high school gymnasium from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Jan. 24. Voters can register at the district office, through the day before voting takes place. The Croton-Harmon School District website has detailed information on projects to take place in each of the buildings.
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