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Gates Chili holds public hearing on $88 million "Future Ready" capital referendum
Summary
District officials outlined an $88 million capital referendum and a $4 million capital-reserve proposition, describing building repairs, safety upgrades and a phased timeline that officials say would not raise taxes if approved.
The Gates Chili Central School District Board of Education held a public hearing Jan. 28 on a proposed $88 million capital referendum called "Future Ready," presenting project scope, timeline and finances ahead of a Feb. 5 public vote.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Mitch Baughn told the board the all‑in project would address a large portion of the district's infrastructure needs, and that a second ballot proposition would authorize use of $4 million already held in a capital reserve for security infrastructure. "Our goal is to have, no increase in taxes associated specifically with this project," Baughn said.
Why it matters: district staff said a building condition survey completed in 2021 identified roughly $110,000,000 in deferred work across the district. The Future Ready proposal packages a subset of those identified needs into a multi‑phase project. If approved, district officials plan design and state review ahead of construction phased through 2032.
Key elements in the proposed scope include mechanical and roofing work at the high school and middle school (boilers, rooftop units, chillers), replacement of failing unit ventilators, targeted cooling of large gathering spaces to meet a New York State Education Department temperature regulation, renovated music and technology classrooms, new school pickup/drop‑off infrastructure at Florence Brasser Elementary to remove cars from Laredo Drive, two multipurpose turf fields off Buffalo Road (baseball and softball fields that would also serve soccer and lacrosse), and work to address paving, drainage and accessibility at several elementary schools.
Baughn described other specific items: replacing failing clocks and the analog public‑address system at the middle school; adding lactation rooms and updated library/media centers at multiple buildings; replacing classroom carpets with hard‑surface flooring in selected wings; new stadium bleachers and perimeter fencing; and safety improvements such as sidewalks, curbs and a crosswalk at Paul Road Elementary. He said some items that require less design — for example, additional bleachers and fencing — could begin earlier than the bulk of the program if voters approve the project.
Schedule and approvals: Baughn and the district's presenters (architects from SEI Design Group, construction management from Campus Construction and municipal finance from BPD Municipal Finance) described the capital process: an approximately one‑year planning phase, a design phase that would proceed only if the referendum passes, submission of design documents to the New York State Education Department (SED) for an approval process that can take six to eight months because districts are queued, and then bidding and construction. The district said it would seek to submit some SED documents quickly after a positive vote to accelerate limited items.
Finances and state aid: the district said its building aid ratio is approximately 80–81% for aidable work, meaning it would recover roughly 81 cents on the dollar for eligible construction costs. Officials said they intend to structure the project with existing debt service and the state building‑aid schedule in mind to minimize local taxpayer impact; the district stated multiple times that the plan is intended to result in no tax increase associated specifically with this project.
Vote details: the district announced the referendum vote is set for Wednesday, Feb. 5, from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Spartan Field House, Gates Chili High School, 1 Spartan Way.
Discussion, next steps: board members asked questions and district staff emphasized that the project scope list reflects priorities rather than finished designs; architects will develop detailed plans only if the referendum passes. Staff also described the district's owner‑architect‑construction‑manager (OACM) meeting cadence and community engagement (building tours, stakeholder meetings, meetings with building leadership) used during the planning phase.
Speakers quoted or referenced in this article are those who presented at the public hearing and are listed in the article's speakers section below. No formal board action on the referendum occurred at this meeting; the hearing closed with no public comment.
