When Central Valley CSD voters go to the polls on May 17 for the annual budget vote, they will also consider a $17-million capital project referendum to fund needed maintenance and repairs.
"This project addresses routine maintenance at no increase to the tax levy," said Superintendent of School Jeremy Rich.
"Just like your home, our school buildings need to be maintained. The goal is to perform routine maintenance now to avoid more costly repairs in the future."
Mr. Rich expects that some taxpayers will wonder why Central Valley needs this work done so soon after having completed the previous capital project.
"We couldn't fit some of the work into the original capital project budget. Other items have continued aging over the last seven years and have come to the end of their useful lives. When warranties expire on things such as roofs, we need to replace them. Utility costs have risen, so we need to update fixtures and equipment to reduce our electricity usage. So comparing it to our homes, things wear out. The best way to protect our investment is to routinely take care of things. "
No increase in tax levy
"The first question we hear when we talk about a capital project is, 'What will this cost the taxpayer?'" said Mr. Rich. "First, state aid will cover 85 percent of the project. Second, the remaining 15 percent, our local share, will be paid for by the district's capital reserve fund. The board of education established a capital reserve fund to avoid large tax increases as the merger incentive aid goes away."
"The combination of state aid and the board's good planning means there will be no increase in the local tax levy."
What's included?
Specifically, the referendum includes:
- replacing roofs at CVA that have come to the end of their life/warranty,
- repaving the pothole-filled driveway and parking by the wall at CVA,
- rebuilding the crumbling back stairs on Weber Ave.,
- replacing inefficient HVAC roof units at CVA, Barringer, and Fisher,
- replacing fluorescent lighting at CVA and Barringer Road with energy-efficient LEDs
- expanding parking at Fisher,
- completing Minnowbrook Stream restoration at Fisher,
- modernizing scoreboards at CVA and Jarvis sports fields,
- installing computer-controlled, state-of-the-art sign boards that feature Central Valley colors at Fisher, Barringer Road, Jarvis, and CVA entrances, and
- renovating CVA main locker rooms.
The annual budget vote will be held noon-8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17 in the CVA small gym. Voting is open to U.S. citizens 18-years old and older who have lived in the school district for 30 days or longer.