COLD SPRING – Lower Township Elementary School District will be asking voters to approve new debt March 8, as part of the district’s facilities improvement program.
Interior renovations, HVAC work, and associated electrical construction at each of the district’s four schools are estimated to cost $15.6 million. A 40% state share of $6.2 million will leave the district’s local share at $9.4 million. The district estimates the burden on taxpayers will be $41.64 per year on an average assessment home of $232,900.
A district slide presentation on the bond issue is available to the public, along with other information detailing the project.
Lower Township Elementary School District is comprised of four separate schools with a combined 2021-2022 enrollment estimated by the district at 1,670 students.
Students begin at David C. Douglas Veterans Memorial School for pre-K to kindergarten education. Cost estimates for the planned work at Memorial are $2.4 million, with a state share of $900,000 and a local share of $1.5 million.
The plans call for interior renovations to ceilings, patchwork, and new painting. HVAC work is extensive, with heat pump replacements, exhaust fans, and dehumidification upgrades. The electrical construction includes new breakers, panel modifications, and connections.
Carl Mitnick School for first and second grade will see similar areas of improvement, with gas-fired rooftop units with dehumidification, replacement of exhaust fans, and upgrades of electric rooftop units.
The plan includes $750,000 in interior renovations and necessary electric work for the entire project. The total project costs are estimated at $4.3 million, with a local share of $2.6 million.
Maud Abrams School houses third and fourth grade. The planned work has the highest estimated costs of the four schools at $4.5 million, with an estimated local share of $2.7 million.
The same interior renovations are included, with the addition of equipment support in one option. The HVAC construction is the largest cost and includes a boiler replacement and individual air handling units, exhaust fans, and a package rooftop unit, along with necessary electrical construction.
The final school on the list is Sandman Elementary, with fifth and sixth grades. It requires similar interior renovations, HVAC work, and electric construction. This project will also benefit from the use of $1.3 million in federal relief dollars. Total cost is estimated at $4.3 million, with a local share of $2.6 million.
Along with the use of the state debt service aid program, which contributes the state’s 40%, each of the four project estimates shows the use of almost $1.3 million in federal Covid relief funds.
The nature of the state aid is such that the district must bond for the full costs and will receive the state share annually toward debt service payments.
The district’s fact sheet on the referendum notes the near historically low-interest rates, which the projects will be able to take advantage of before actions occur to raise rates as a result of inflation.
The district’s website provides access to a tax impact calculator, which will allow property owners to plug in their specific assessed value and see the estimated tax impact of the new debt.
The voters will pass judgment on the referendum March 8, between 4 p.m. and 8 pm. Voting can be done by mail or in person.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
