NORWICH – The Norwich City School District has more than $2.5 million left over from its latest capital project, but they’ll have to act fast if they want to use it.
The district’s $35 million capital improvement project came in $2.5 to $3 million under budget, which affords the district the opportunity to take care of a few more items on its building condition survey and facility evaluation.
But they will have to have the plans drawn up, approved by the New York State Education Department, and construction completed by January of 2010 if they want to spend the money.
“It’s an aggressive timeline,” said Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan, as he presented the project proposal to the Norwich Board of Education Tuesday.
To get the ball rolling, O’Sullivan asked the board to reorganize its building project sub-committee and authorize him to draw up a new contract with Thomas Associates Architects to begin designing the plans.
The project will not need to be presented to voters for approval, as there will be no need to borrow additional money, the superintendent said.
“The voters authorized $35.3 million between the capital reserves, EXCEL money and the bond,” said Deputy Superintendent Margaret Boice. According to the business administrator, the district only has two options: They can spend the excess funds on an additional small capital improvement project or “take that money and put it against debt service.”
“It’s the only thing we’re legally allowed to do with the money,” Boice explained.
O’Sullivan proposed that board president Bob Patterson and board members Tim Brown and Joe Stagliano be appointed to the building project subcommittee, which will be tasked with identifying the projects selected for the small capital project.
The superintendent recommended that they take a “broad rather than a narrow view,” identifying a large number of potential projects. “Then when we get the bids, we can be judicious,” he said.
The April 2008 Facility Evaluation and the 2005 Building Condition Survey will serve as a guide in evaluating what needs to be done. “We’ve been updating these as we go along,” said O’Sullivan.
They include a number of small identified needs as well as “larger ticket items that are still hanging out there,” he explained. Health and safety concerns will be a priority, and both infrastructure and environmental needs will be considered in the evaluation process.
O’Sullivan cautioned that the project must “stay within the scope” of the original bond.
After a lengthy discussion, the board voted unanimously to move forward with reforming the building project subcommittee and authorizing O’Sullivan to engage Thomas Associates.
The board also voted to transfer funds to pay for the next Building Condition Survey, due in 2010, out of the current year’s budget. The district will be reimbursed for this state mandated study, which is expected to cost roughly $50,000.