FAQ
WHY NOW?
Many items within this project are at the end of their life cycle. It is critical that we complete this work as soon as possible. Ideally, we vote on a project every two years. However, the District’s last capital project vote was in 2018. Managing the COVID pandemic took us out of our normal cycle, and the work that is needed has built up over that time. While inflation has been a concern for everyone, the cost of a project (from labor to materials) will only continue to rise in the future. Putting a project out now, allows us to mitigate any further inflation down the road. Additionally, if the vote is approved in January, we are hopeful we will be able to go out to bid in December of 2023 when, typically, bids are the most favorable.
HOW WERE PRIORITIES SELECTED?
The District reviewed the Building Condition Survey that is completed every 5 years and addressed areas that were identified in that process. Several facilities meetings with various stakeholders were held between 2016 and 2022. In addition, faculty, staff, and community were surveyed to seek input. The facilities committee and stakeholders convened after the previous referendum vote, to review feedback and adjust the scope accordingly.
WHO DOES THIS PROJECT BENEFIT?
This project will impact every student in our school district along with many community members who utilize our facilities. SOBUS Field and the track are used by every Physical Education class K – 12. The Town of Lansing Recreation Department also uses the LCSD facilities and campus for their robust programs during the school year and summer months.
ISN’T STATE BUILDING AID TAX DOLLARS?
Yes. New York State gives all districts the opportunity to use tax dollars set aside for building aid to improve and upgrade their facilities through capital projects and renovations. This is done to encourage districts to maintain the buildings and campuses in a way that provides financial stability to the district and the taxpayer. Through systematic review of our building condition survey and optimizing building aid, the district is able to provide healthy and safe facilities as well as a stability for long term planning. By accessing building aid specifically, we are able to take advantage of the tax dollars available to LCSD and maintain their local use.
WHY SYNTHETIC TURF?
The District has resurfaced the track surrounding the playing field multiple times to extend the usage. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to safely resurface the track. The underlay is cracked and falling apart in multiple areas. A full replacement is necessary. Due to the amount of heavy equipment on SOBUS field for the removal of the track, it will be necessary to replace the playing field area as well. After much research and community input, we determined artificial turf to be the best decision for multiple reasons.
Financial: The initial cost difference to replace the field with artificial turf as opposed to grass turf is an additional $350,000. These costs are significantly reduced over time as our grounds staff no longer have to line fields, irrigate, seed, mow etc.
Usage: The artificial turf will be more accessible to physical education classes and athletics in school and in our community as it is much less impacted by weather and usage.
Safety Factors: With the amount of usage of our field by various school athletics teams, PE classes, and community recreation programs, it is difficult for a school district our size to keep up with the maintenance necessary to maintain a suitable “G-Max” rating (the rating of the ability of the field surface to “give” upon impact) in comparison to a synthetic turf field.
HOW WILL THIS IMPACT MY TAXES?
Unfortunately, this project will have a cost to the tax payer. The scope of work involved in replacing the track and SOBUS field exceeds the amount of funding the state will provide with building aid, resulting in taxpayer impact. The use of our Capital Reserve will mitigate some, but not all of that impact. Our analysis shows that in the first year of making payments on this project in 2025, with projected and trended assessment increases, taxes on a $200k home will increase by $94.00.
WHAT IF THE REFERENDUM DOESN’T PASS?
Items in this project include upgrades that need to be completed soon or they will pose a health and safety risk to staff and students. If the referendum does not pass, those renovations would need to be done without the benefit of NYS building aid at 72.1% and would have to be funded within the annual school budget, putting the burden on the local taxpayers to bear the full cost. Alternatively, the district may need to close down access to certain portions of campus as they would no longer be safe for use.
For a more detailed look at the project, please read the Capital Project Informational Newsletter.
