By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
ALLEGANY — Allegany-Limestone Central School District voters will vote on two capital programs worth a combined $21.3 million on Dec. 18.
A public forum on the project will be held Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m., in Room 42 at the Middle/High School prior to the Board of Education meeting at 6:30.
Voting will be held Dec. 18 from noon to 8 p.m., at the Middle/High School lobby.
Proposition 1 includes $17.5 million for upgrades and improvements at the Middle/High School and Elementary School campuses plus reconstruction of the track and football grass fields and LED lighting.
Proposition 2 is a $3.8 million plan to design and build an indoor athletic facility to meet demand for more practice space for school teams.
Proposition 1 is expected to be paid for from state building aid, while the cost of Proposition 2 would be borne by district taxpayers over the term of the bonds. State aid will offset a substantial amount of the cost of Proposition 1 projects.
The district has $3.2 million in its Capital Improvement Reserve Fund it intends to use to reduce the cost of borrowing, said District Superintendent Anthony Giannicchi.
If Proposition 1 does not pass, the Board of Educations will not proceed with Proposition 2, the superintendent said.
Both the building upgrades and the athletic facility are designed to keep the district on the cutting edge — both educationally and from a sports perspective, Giannicchio said.
The Middle/High School is 25 years old and in need of renovations and upgrades, pointed out. One such upgrade is converting the Technology Room into a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) Lab.
Other Middle/High School upgrades would include: updating kitchen equipment, pool locker rooms, Gym bleachers and wall pads and library flooring. Security controls are scheduled on program doors at facilities on both campuses. HVAC work would be scheduled at both schools.
Exterior work includes roof restoration of select areas at both schools and the bus garage and parking area upgrades at both schools.
The track and grass football field would be reconstructed and LED lighting installed on the field and parking lots. The press box would be renovated and synthetic turf in the batting cage replaced.
Giannicchi said there has been discussion in the community about the need for a separate sports facility due to the increased number of sports and percentage of student athletes. “There are no indoor places to practice,” the superintendent said. “This would open up possibilities. If you create a space, people will use it.”
The indoor track team, Giannichi said, have to practice in the hallways.
There are few similar high school facilities in Western New York, Giannicchio said. The school board recently visited an athletic facility in Lancaster which is similar to what the district is considering if voters approve.
“It is an investment in the community,” Giannicchi said. “It will be an asset to our district and help us stay on the cutting edge.”
The superintendent said the district is competing for new families coming into the area and booth propositions are designed to put Allegany-Limestone in a strong position from both academic and athletic standpoints.
