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Cornwall Central School District officials outline three-part capital project; first proposition billed as tax neutral
Summary
District leaders presented a three‑proposition capital plan at a community forum: a $44.5M tax‑neutral infrastructure package, a roughly $21M classroom package with a partial tax effect, and a $14.6M athletic‑fields package that would be covered by the tax levy. Officials said state aid and expiring debt expand the district’s borrowing capacity.
At a community forum, Cornwall Central School District Board member Brendan Cardi and district staff detailed a three‑part capital program the facilities committee recommends sending to voters in May. 'Those needs total about $78 million,' Cardi said, citing the district’s most recent building condition survey and internal assessments.
The plan would appear as three separate propositions on the ballot. Proposition 1, described as the critical‑infrastructure package, is estimated at about $44.5 million and—district officials said—could be financed without raising local property taxes by using existing capital reserve funds, anticipated state aid and the capacity freed when a 1999 bond retires in 2030. 'When our PA and fire systems fail, the central office and the main office cannot send messages throughout the building; this is a critical safety issue,' facilities director Walter Moran said, arguing for a district‑wide replacement of analog PA, clock and fire‑alarm systems.
Proposition 2 is a classroom‑additions package with an estimated total cost of about $21 million that district staff said would be partly covered by the capital reserve funds and state aid; officials estimated roughly $10.7 million of that package would require new local tax support. The district described specific projects: eight classrooms at Cornwall Elementary (Lee Road), a cafeteria renovation and added classrooms at Cornwall on Hudson, and three classrooms formed by connecting B and C wings at the middle school.
Proposition 3 would fund athletic‑field work—relocating baseball/softball fields, installing synthetic turf for multi‑sport use and addressing drainage and retaining‑wall needs—at an estimated $14.6 million; staff said that package would be financed through the tax levy.
District staff said state aid magnifies local reserves (roughly a 3:1 match on qualifying work), and that expiring debt of about $3.5 million per year beginning in 2030 can be redirected to new bond payments to contain near‑term tax effects. Cardi also explained the ballot will use a waterfall structure: 'only if Prop 1 passes can Prop 2 pass, and only if the first two propositions pass can Prop 3 pass.'
District staff said design and scoping remain under way and encouraged residents to review the posted slide deck. The board is scheduled to vote on final ballot language at its next meeting; the district said the vote would appear on the same ballot as the school budget and board elections.
