Residents Narrowly Defeat $12M Project For Westchester Middle School

By 53 votes, residents of the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District narrowly defeated a $12.5 million renovation project on Tuesday, Feb. 6, with most of the work planned at Port Chester Middle School.

Port Chester Middle School reopened on Nov. 6 after emergency repairs. Bulldozers and temporary orange fences surrounded PCMS and the Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District offices. Voters narrowly defeated a bond project on Tuesday.
Photo Credit: *Jon Craig*

Workers outside the Board of Education and District office entrance of Port Chester-Rye Union Free District on Oct. 31, 2017. Port Chester Middle School reopened on Nov. 6 after emergency repairs. Voters narrowly defeated a proposed bond project.
Photo Credit: *Jon Craig*

Jon Craig

02/07/2018 7:25 a.m.

A total of 940 residents voted for the project and 993 voted against it.

This project primarily addresses the recent emergency safety work and necessary reconstruction at Port Chester Middle School for a long-term, safe and cost-effective solution.

Temporary repairs at Port Chester Middle School cost $1.6 million -- due to an Oct. 26 concrete collapse as reported here by Daily Voice.

Superintendent of Schools Edward Kliszus said he was disappointed by the low voter turnout, saying that a project of this magnitude deserved to have the support of a wider community. "It is disappointing that there wasn't higher partcipation," Kliszus said on the school district web site.

In March 2017, Port Chester residents approved another construction project across multiple schools, including Port Chester High School as reported here by Daily Voice.

At least 75 percent of the emergency work and about 70 percent of the cost of permanent reconstruction was expected to qualify for state building assistance.

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