Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk board reviews $16.4M capital project, optional $1.7M cooling extension

Superintendent Chandler presented a proposed two‑part capital project to the Ravena‑Coeymans‑Selkirk Central School District Board of Education, explaining that a state‑required building conditions survey identified immediate infrastructure needs across district facilities.

Chandler said the base project addresses roofs, mechanical systems, flooring, the pool liner, stadium improvements and an obsolete elevator, and that “the total for that portion with all the incidentals and the contingency adds up to $16.4 million.” He described that part as tax neutral — funded with a mix of reserves and anticipated state aid — and said it would require voter approval.

A second, optional “extension” would add classroom cooling in second‑floor spaces at the high school and second‑floor classrooms at both elementary schools. Chandler said that extension’s construction estimate is about $1.3 million before incidentals and contingencies, rising to about $1.7 million with those additions. Fiscal advisors later translated that to a small per‑property impact: “we estimate that the impact per thousand dollars of full value would be $0.01,” Elise Andrews of the district’s fiscal advisors said, giving a $3.12 example for a $300,000 full‑value home.

Staff and construction advisors summarized site‑specific needs at the high school: turf and track replacement or reconditioning, stadium lighting upgrades, second‑floor tile replacement, boiler burner replacement and an older elevator installed in 2001 that the district says is obsolete and difficult to service. Facilities staff also described recurring pool‑liner trouble, noting the liner installed in 2013 carries a 15‑year warranty and that prior warranty and repair work has required out‑of‑region vendors.

The district’s construction manager and architect explained why school construction costs are high: prevailing wage requirements, commercial code compliance, multiple specialty contractors, bonding and insurance, and mandatory code upgrades that can be triggered by renovation work. Those constraints, they said, push project totals beyond what community members might expect from similar residential work.

Superintendent Chandler said the base project is structured to be tax neutral using capital reserves and anticipated state building aid (staff used conservative aid assumptions), and that the extension could cause a minimal increase to the tax levy if included. Nolan Giblin of the fiscal advisors cautioned that stake figures such as the state aid ratio (estimated at 67.9% in current projections) can change between application and approval.

Next steps and timing: staff asked the board to consider authorizing the project at the next board meeting to meet state filing and election deadlines. If the board approves the project for submission and voters approve it, the district would move to design and engineering and then to bidding; construction was described as targeted to begin in 2028 if approvals proceed. Chandler said staff will return with additional detail, including expanded cost estimates for conditioning additional spaces if the board wants that analysis before final authorization.

The board did not take a final vote on the capital project at this meeting; staff said they would seek board authorization at the next meeting and that any voter referendum would be scheduled consistent with state filing deadlines.