ROTTERDAM Mohonasen to add fine arts wing District to use state aid as its share of project BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.
Mohonasen voters could soon decide on a $19 million capital project that won’t cost them a penny on their local tax bills, school district officials said. The district plans to use $1.09 million received this year in state EXCEL aid as the local share of the building project. The project would be covered under an existing 95 percent building aid formula through the state, which would allow the district to spend up to $21 million in all. Much of the Mohonasen project would involve infrastructure improvements throughout the district’s four buildings, explained Superintendent Kathleen Spring during Monday’s Board of Education meeting. These items include everything from track resurfacing at the high school to energy effi - ciency improvements throughout all the district’s buildings. “It’s not the glamorous kind of things that are going to take up the bulk of this work,” she said. Perhaps the most notable improvement included in the project is the addition of a new fine arts wing near the Farnsworth Technology Center. The wing would create three additional art rooms, one classroom and an art gallery; the new addition would also connect two wings of the school and create a new courtyard. At the Pinewood Intermediate School, the project would expand the cafeteria and increase the media center by about 30 percent. The project would also reconfigure the school’s entrance so that anyone passing through the front vestibule would need to pass through the main office before gaining access to the building. The Draper Middle School would receive a new roof under the project, which would also replace the canopy outside the school. In addition the faculty workspace on the second floor of the building would be rearranged to more efficiently use the space, some of which would be added to classrooms. School officials are expected to adopt the project later this month. If board members approve a resolution to move forward with the project, they will conduct public hearings during the early fall and then schedule a vote in mid-October. The district’s last capital project was launched after voters approved an $8.5 million bond in May 2004. The multiphase project included new roofs and heating systems for several district buildings, as well as expansions at the high school and middle school. “With each project, we have a wish list,” said board president Eileen French. “Some of the things we’re seeing in this project we talked about in other projects.”
MOHONASEN Earlier this month, Mohonasen district officials unveiled their 5-year capital project, which will be fully funded through the state building and EXCEL aid. They are planning public hearings for next month and have scheduled a vote for Oct. 16. Much of the district’s proposed project would involve repairs throughout the Mohonasen’s four buildings, including track resurfacing at the high school and energy efficiency improvements across the district. Mohonasen’s project also includes a new fine arts wing near the high school’s Farnsworth Technology Center, which would add three art rooms, one classroom and an art gallery.
Don’t worry, state will pay for school repairs FRANK O’CONNOR Rotterdam
After listening to many Mohonasen school district taxpayers’ disappointment over their recent school tax bill, it is understandable that they are quite upset. But that should not deter them from voting “yes” on the Oct. 16 referendum on capital projects. If the proposed $21.8 million in repairs and improvements is defeated, taxpayers will have to foot the bill. Then the school tax rate will surely jump. If we do not pass this referendum, the money will be used by another school district. Remember, the state will be paying the entire cost. There is no cost to local taxpayers for this project.
There was a Chemistry professor in a large college that had some Exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Prof noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt. The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government. In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, "Do you know how to catch wild pigs?" The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When the pigs are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, When they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, which are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat the free corn, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity. The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc. while we continually lose our freedoms, just a little at a time.
One should always remember "There is no such thing as a free Lunch!" Also, "You can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself." Also, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America, you might want to send this on to your friends If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help you when the gate slams shut! "If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under" - Ronald Reagan
ROTTERDAM Voters to weigh in on major school projects Mohonasen, Schalmont: Work must be done BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
School officials from the Mohonasen and Schalmont districts are hoping voters will head to the polls today with preventive maintenance on their minds. Both districts are conducting referenda for projects largely funded through the state’s EXCEL aid. Schalmont’s planned $9.7 million capital project will require a 28 percent contribution from taxpayers; Mohonasen’s $21.8 million project will require no additional tax levy. The work must be done, offi cials from each district said. Waiting any longer on the improvements could end up costing taxpayers even more in the future, said Schalmont Superintendent Valerie Kelsey. “It’s things that need to be done,” she said. “It’s better to deal with it under a plan than deal with it in a crisis situation.” In Schalmont big-ticket improvements include $3.1 million to replace the high school’s original classroom heating and ventilation system, which is now more than 50 years old. Other large items include $1.4 million to replace windows and $1.06 million to install smaller, more efficient boilers. The high school’s bathrooms would be updated under the project, which allocates $150,000 to bring them up to modern standards. The project also proposes a $467,000 reconstruction of the cafeteria. Kelsey said the overall impact on taxpayers would be around 3.4 cents per $1,000 of property value. Schalmont residents owning a $100,000 property and with a tax bill of $1,700 would pay an additional $3.40 per year, reflecting a 0.2 percent increase. “We’re hoping people see this is a good solid project and they’ll be supportive,” she said. In the Mohonasen district, school officials plan to use $1.09 million received this year in state EXCEL aid as the local share of the building project. The project would be covered under an existing 95 percent building aid formula through the state, which would allow the district to spend up to $21 million. “For us, the EXCEL vote is at no cost to taxpayers,” said Superintendent Kathleen Spring. “If it doesn’t get approved in this bond referendum, at some point there will be a cost.” The project proposes a new fi ne arts wing near the Farnsworth Technology Center, creating three art rooms, one classroom and an art gallery. The Draper Middle School would receive a new roof. Schalmont residents can cast their votes between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. outside the high school gymnasium. Mohonasen residents can vote between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the high school gym.
ROTTERDAM Mohonasen, Schalmont OK rehab projects BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net
Mohonasen and Schalmont voters passed school district referenda Tuesday to finance capital projects to improve school facilities. Schalmont voters narrowly approved a $9.7 million project by 445 to 386. The project will require a 28 percent contribution from taxpayers, something that was commented on as voters left the polls. Superintendent Valerie Kelsey said a number of residents were vocal about their dismay over apparent increases in their school taxes. She said some people indicated they voted against the proposal because of the town-wide revaluation. “For sure, people did express that they had voted no because of the reval,” she said. “That was very clear at the exit polls.” In contrast, Mohonasen voters strongly approved a $21.8 million project requiring no additional tax levy. Voters approved the referendum 1,369 in favor and 160 against, district officials said. Superintendent Kathleen Spring said she was surprised by the level of people who turned out, but not necessarily by the results. She said the district made it clear to voters the need for the improvements. “We really made an effort to get people out to vote,” she said. “People were saying at no cost, we need to do this.” The cost of Mohonasen’s project was offset by $1.09 million the district received this year in state EXCEL aid, which will be used as the local share of the building cost. The project is also covered under an existing 95 percent building aid formula through the state, allowing the district to spend up to $21 million. In addition to various infrastructure improvements throughout the district, the Mohonasen project will add a new fine arts wing near the Farnsworth Technology Center, creating three art rooms, one classroom and an art gallery. The Draper Middle School will also receive a new roof. Schalmont’s project also makes use of state EXCEL and building aid, as well as the rental income generated from the former Schonowe school. The anticipated impact on the tax levy is 0.2 percent starting during the 2009-2010 school year. Schalmont’s big-ticket improvements include $3.1 million to replace the high school’s original classroom heating and ventilation system, which is now more than 50 years old. Other large items include $1.4 million to replace windows and $1.06 million to install smaller, more efficient boilers. The high school’s bathrooms would be updated under the project, which allocates $150,000 to bring them up to modern standards. The project also proposes a $467,000 reconstruction of the cafeteria. “We greatly appreciate the support of our community,” Kelsey said of the vote.
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