Lansing School District readies for second BOBCAT vote

 

In November, Lansing Central School District (LCSD) fell short on getting enough community approval for its proposed capital project.

Now, LCSD will take another crack at getting the community to vote “yes.”

The vote opportunity for Building Opportunities for Branding, Capital improvements, Athletics & Teaching (BOBCAT) project will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 23 at the school district offices.

The first attempt at the BOBCAT project vote saw 632 residents vote “no” and 368 residents vote “yes,” totaling over 1,000 residents having

their say on the proposed $22.8 million project.

“The community felt like it didn’t have enough information and didn’t feel adequately informed to make an appropriate decision to say yes to a vote,” LCSD superintendent Chris Pettograsso said.

The second attempt has been husked down to a projected total cost of $16,858,166. This is LCSD’s first and next round of a capital project proposal since 2018. Pettograsso noted the school district’s capital projects, which seek approval every two years, skipped 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a newsletter from LCSD, $10,212,294 (61%) will be used for infrastructure and safety upgrades, including:

 

• Replacing 1997 vintage roofs at the elementary, middle and high schools
• Middle school gym padding & basketball hoops
• High school courtyard walls & windows
• Natatorium windows & lintels
• HVAC Controls
• Public-address system at elementary school
• Elementary school generator
• Middle school large space interior doors
• Parking/Drop Off improvements

 

The rest of the cost, which is $6,645,872 (39%), is projected for:

 

• SOBUS field & track replacement
• High school gym floor
• Bathrooms near varsity baseball field

“We spent a lot of time making sure we put together a package that provided all of the information on the project itself, what we’re looking for, the historical look of our past projects and also moving forward,” Pettograsso said. “We’re looking at all aspects of this project as necessary.”

One of the largest portions of the capital project that needs the most attention is the field and track replacement, Pettograsso said.

“We’re at the life expectancy at this point and now we have to replace both,” Pettograsso said, noting the current age of the track and field is 25 years old.

“(The track) is in need of significant repair,” Pettograsso added, noting the track is cracking and spongy “in many areas.”

Pettograsso noted LCSD’s decision to go with artificial turf instead of natural grass for the field.

“It’s something we’ve been looking to give improvements to anyways.” she said.

While most of the projected $16.8 million would be covered by state building aid, about $5 million of the costs cannot, according to Kathryn Heath, LCSD’s assistant superintendent of business administration.

Heath noted LCSD’s capital reserve will decrease the uncovered costs to $1.8 million. According to Heath, old debt claims collected by the school district could bring down the number even more.

Despite this, Heath anticipates a 3% tax impact, which she noted is based on assessment and projections implemented into the cost of the project.

For example, Heath said, a $100,000 home will see about a $40 tax impact to help cover projected costs. A $200,000 home, she added, will see a $95 impact.

Heath mentioned that smaller works from the original proposed BOBCAT project, which for example included the replacement and installation of an ADA-compliance door at the high school and air conditioner installation at the elementary school, will now be part of the school district’s budgetary process.

“We looked for other ways to meet needs through other types of projects that would not necessarily impact taxes,” Pettograsso said.

LCSD held a community engagement meeting on Dec. 14 in regards to the second attempt at the BOBCAT project. For Pettograsso and the school district, it provided a deeper look into the Lansing-area community as a whole.

“We learned about the economic hardships of the community, especially people on fixed income, and really wanted us to look at spanning any type of projects that were necessary over a longer period of time,” Pettograsso said.

The next community engagement meeting, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 12 at the middle school auditorium, will have an in-depth look on the financial, health and physical impact of an artificial turf field, Pettograsso added.

“The silver lining in a negative vote (on the first attempt) is that people started paying attention,” she said. “They’re coming out to meetings and talking to us. We really do view the interest in our district.”

Lansing at Large appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.

In Brief:

Lansing Community Library announces New Year’s hours

The Lansing Community Library, located at 27 Auburn Rd. in the village, announced its hours for the week following up to New Year’s Day.

The library will be closed New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and Jan. 2. It will be open Dec. 28 & 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Dec. 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.