School board hears $394M building‑condition findings, authorizes study of a possible third referendum

The Horseheads Central School District board on Monday received a comprehensive update on capital projects and a state‑filed building condition survey and voted to authorize staff and consultants to investigate a possible third referendum to address remaining facility needs.

Consultants told the board the district’s 2023 building condition survey (filed with the State Education Department in February 2024) lists roughly $394 million in recommended work across district buildings, a total that includes items already funded or allocated to the projects currently under way. Speaker 10, the consultant who led the budget review, said the online BCS dashboard breaks the work into year‑by‑year priorities and noted the tool applies an inflation factor to reprioritize costs over time.

The presentation reviewed completed and ongoing projects: stadium locker rooms and a middle‑school renovation are closed out; Big Flats has new classroom additions and a partially open gym; Ridge Road has completed user‑group meetings and received first‑round SED comments; the high‑school gymnasium and pool work remains on a multi‑year timeline. The team described site changes intended to separate bus and parent traffic, added raised crosswalks and improved mechanical and energy systems in renovated spaces.

Trustees asked several procedural and fiscal questions. One trustee sought clarification about a $100,000 discrepancy in the “other funding sources” column; Speaker 10 acknowledged a typo in one line that, when corrected, explained the difference. In response to queries about prioritization, the consultants said priority‑1 items are largely life‑safety and systems at greatest risk; noncritical items are scheduled later and the BCS can be reallocated as projects progress.

After discussion, the board voted to authorize an investigative phase for a potential third project that would further define scope, refine estimates and lay out public engagement steps. The motion passed by voice vote; the transcript records one trustee opposed and at least one abstention during the rollcall discussion.

The board’s approval does not appropriate money for construction; it authorizes pre‑referendum planning work, including further design, cost estimating and public outreach. Administrators said any formal referendum would return to the board for approval and require permitting and State Education Department alignment with the BCS to be eligible for aid.

Next steps include a work session to consider priorities, additional cost estimates from the district’s estimator, and community forums like those held during prior referenda. The consultants said the BCS will remain a living document the district can reweight and update as projects become contracted and aid cycles evolve.