Vote set on Westport Central capital project

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November 26, 2009

By ALVIN REINER The Press Republican Thu Nov 26, 2009, 01:37 PM EST

WESTPORT — Taxpayers will vote on a proposed $500,000 bond for Westport Central School to provide for an emergency generator, security upgrades and tennis-court repairs.

“We are taking on a very important project for the school,” said Westport Superintendent John Gallagher. “The high point of the project is the purchase and installation of a generator for the school. If passed, (it) will allow our building to be an emergency shelter for our citizens in the event of a catastrophic event like the Ice Storm of 1998.

“We also wish to do some security upgrades in the school and make our tennis courts usable again; both as a teaching station and as a community resource. I believe this project will receive wide support in the community.”

Oct. 27, the Board of Education passed two resolutions to put the capital project before the voters.

“As we develop this project, we will be meeting with community groups to explain the cost and financing ...” Gallagher said. “We have been actively seeking outside sources for funding and will continue to do so. The school should be a community center. This step is one way we can serve the area.”

The public can learn about the project at an information session in the school library at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10. The vote is scheduled for noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22, also at the school.

As well, Gallagher said, the school has been working with the town on plans for a shared municipal facility.

“Shared services save money,” he said.

Community concerns

George King is one local citizen who has expressed concerns and questions about the proposal.

“A number of people in the town are very disturbed by this project for a number of reasons; not the least of which is that this project, combined with problems with the retirement system costs, are going to balloon our school taxes this year and for years to come,” King said in an e-mail.

He wonders why the generator should be paid for by the district and not the town, what grants have been looked into as possible funding and whether the state has been approached for that purpose.

“Why is there an urgent need for a complete security overhaul?” he wrote. “If this is mandated, where is the money to follow the mandate?”

And what necessitates a vote so soon? he asked.

The project

The main components of the project are:

E Installation of an outdoor generator capable of powering the entire school, with automatic transfer switch, including acoustical weather enclosure, foundation, fencing, trenching, conduit and wiring.

E Electronic card access control hardware (retrofit to all 29 exterior doors).

E Securing the foyer entrance to streamline sign-in procedures for visitors. This is in keeping with security requirements imposed on schools, Gallagher said.

E Resurfacing the tennis courts to make them usable for the school and the community, repairing the storm drain and parking lot.

E Some minor modernization of the phone system to add voice messaging and increase efficiency and security.

BREAKDOWN

As the school is eligible for special and regular state aid, the net cost of the $500,000 project, officials said, would be $186,000. The resultant tax levy on a home assessed at $100,000 would be 25 cents per month or $3 annually. That doesn’t include the STAR exemption for some property owners.

A special election to replace board member Kathleen Carter-Martinez, who moved from the district, may also be on the ballot providing there is at least one applicant.

Gallagher and possibly one or more school-board members will meet with the Westport Chamber of Commerce at the Heritage House at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, to discuss the project.

For further information, contact Gallagher at 962-8244.

E-mail Alvin Reiner at:

rondackrambler@yahoo.com