Proposed 79M Gilboa-Conesville Project Will not Hike Taxes

GILBOA-CONESVILLE — Gilboa-Conesville School District residents worried about how a proposed $7.9 million improvement project might put a hurt on their household budgets can stop worrying.

The project, if approved by school district voters in a Dec. 17 referendum, will not necessitate a property tax increase, Superintendent Bonnie Johnson and two professionals from Hunt Architects said at the Wednesday, Nov. 20 school board meeting.

"There will be no impact on taxpayers at all," Johnson said. That point was reiterated by Josh Bezio and Gary Henry of Hunt Architects during their presentation on the project at the meeting.

The funding proposal for the work is to use $3.7 million from a capital reserve fund and $4.2 million in serial bonds. No tax increase can be accomplished by "leveraging New York State building aid and managing debt service payments," according to the presentation.

Proposed improvements include painting and accoustic upgrades to the gymatorium, locker replacement, an Americans With Disabilities Act connection between the two main buildings, septic system and retaining wall replacements, renovation of the parking lot and office and conference ventilation work at the bus garage and other upgrades.

Included in the estimated $7.9 million pricetag are gymatorium cooling, roof overlays for all buildings and replacement/relocation of playground equipment. However, those three items will be bid as alternates so they can be eliminated from the project if necessary, Bezio and Henry said.

A projected timeline, if the project is approved by voters on Dec. 17, has a preconstruction and design phase from December through July of 2025, awarding of bids in March of 2026 and construction from May 2026 to September 2027.

In-person voting is from noon to 8 p.m. Dec. 17 in the M. Matthew Murray Auditorium at the school, 132 Wyckoff Road, Gilboa. Voting can also be done by absentee, early mail-in or military ballot. Instructions for voting those ways are available on the school district website.

In other news from the Nov. 20 meeting, teachers Melissa McDonald and Michelle Fleischman, seventh-grader Avyn Graham, and eighth-grader Voytek Meli gave a presentation on their Oct. 28-Nov. 1 Schoodic Education Adventure at Acadia National Park in Maine.

The four were among 29 students and five chaperones who made the trip, made possible in large part due to generous donations from L.L. Bean and the Nick Juried Foundation. Graham and Meli reported that among the highlights of the trip were a geology hike, learning about various trees and groundcover and about how glaciers made rock formations and many other things.

A trip to the beach included seeing some seals, the two students added.

"We're so lucky to have this program," school board President Michael Fleischman said. "It's been one of the most awesome things our kids can experience."

In personnel actions at the end of the meeting, several positions were approved for the 2024-25 school year. Ariah Cruz was approved as Creating Rural Opportunities Partnership (CROP) Peer Tutor and Taylor Bribois as CROP Adult Helper and Activity Leader.

Anne Mattice-Strauch will be junior varsity boys basketball coach, Jane Ware JV girls basketball coach, Jake Laban basketball clock keeper and David Pickett varsity girls basketball helper. Lindsay Timm was approved as Ski Club chaperone and Luis Flores as a substitute cleaner.