Board reviews building options
Brownsville Area School District buildings and grounds committee discussed options Tuesday regarding the construction of a new consolidation complex. Committee chairperson John Harvey said the matter has been narrowed down to two options to be presented to the school board at the next regular meeting set for Aug. 19.
The first option would consist of building a new high school and middle school complex with a total maximum cost of $18 million.
The second option would be to renovate and add to the existing Cox-Donahey Elementary School for an elementary complex with a maximum cost of $10 million.
Harvey said either option would require a tax increase to cover the cost above the $7 million the district currently has in a renovation fund.
“Whichever way we go, I feel comfortable that it’s a good decision,” Harvey said. “We do all agree that getting down to one building will save money.”
Business manager Edward Yorke said for the first option, the district would need to approve a 1.13 mil increase next year to build an $11 million bond with the difference made up using the construction fund.
“The payment would be about $250,000 annually on the $11 million bond,” Harvey said.
If the board selects the second option, taxpayers would see a smaller increase to raise $3 million.
“$3 million to renovate Cox-Donahey and add to it to fit all 600 elementary students in it is a good figure,” said Dr. Philip Savini, district superintendent.
“And let’s not forget that the state still owes us $9 million,” Savini said.
“We have a contract with the state. It’s just a matter of them holding up their end. That money should be coming.”
The district had originally been issued a bond that equaled nearly $10 million to be used on a capital project.
But lack of movement on using the money resulted in a loss to the district. After using some of the funds to make payments, the district now is left with $7 million to proceed with the complex plan.
“This has been a long process. There has been a lot of decision making,” Director Andy Dorsey said. “We pretty much lost $3 million and it has become a situation where we just keep losing money, so we need to do something soon.”