1. VCSD Capital Project Community Forum
Sept 25, 2017

2. Planning Process for the Capital Project
The District received the Building Condition Survey (BCS) report from its architect in 2016
This report details many important repairs and upgrades that need to be done to the district’s facilities
The district’s facilities committee reviewed the BCS and prioritized items for inclusion in the Capital Project
The facilities committee has also reviewed potential items regarding bus maintenance, science and technology labs, and potential athletic facilities improvements
The district has significant capital debt from the 2001 project coming off the books in the next 3 years, making this a good time to consider a capital project

3. Building Condition Survey Items to be Included in the Project
Estimated Cost
Background Information
New Heating System Boilers for All Schools
$1,493,000
Current boilers are 25 to 30 years old
New Roof on Older Section of the ES
$511,000
Roof section 20 years old, out of warranty
New Windows in the Older Section of the HS
$533,000
Windows date from 1950s and 60s
Unit Ventilators in the Older Section of the HS
$564,000
Ventilators date from 1950s and 60s
HS Temperature Control System
$373,000
System obsolete – dates from 1950s – 70s
MS/HS Fire Alarm System
$498,000
System dates from 1970s, not addressable
PAC, LGI, MS Gym upgrades
$249,000
LED Lights for PAC, sound deadening for LGI, LED lights for MS gym
MS/HS Kitchen upgrades
$118,000
Replace old steam table and oven
Total for all BCS Items
$4,842,000
Upgrade and replace old items

4. Project Items to Improve Instructional Spaces
The HS Earth Science Labs are in need of improvement due to cramped space and inefficient layout. Renovation and expansion of the 2 labs is estimated to cost $1 million.
The MS Technology Lab is also cramped and inefficient in its layout. Renovation of this lab is estimated to cost $1 million.
The conversion of a HS maintenance storage area to a Maker Space is being considered for Technology class use and for community use after school hours. This conversion is estimated to cost $500,000.

5. District Enrollment Trends
Capacities of the current school buildings as determined by the District Facilities Committee are as follows:
Elementary School – 620 students capacity (current enrollment is 530 students)
Middle School – 360 students capacity (current enrollment is 260 students)
High School – 550 students capacity (current enrollment is 390 students.
The District contracted with the Capital District Regional Planning Commission to study the potential impact of new housing developments on enrollment

6. Housing and Enrollment Study
A study by Capital District Regional Planning was done on the new housing developments in our school district to determine the impact on enrollment. The study concluded that the impact of the new housing developments will be as follows:
168 additional school aged children are projected to be enrolled in the district between 2018 and 2022, 34 new students annually, an average of 2.6 children per grade per year.
The pattern of low population growth in the Town of New Scotland in the period of 2000 to 2016 may foreshadow lower demand for new housing in the area.
The pace of development, particularly for the Hilton Road development, will have an impact on enrollment increases. Because the new developments are at an early stage, the CDRPC recommends revisiting the study in the future.
If these projections prove to be accurate, enrollment would be within the building capacities for the next 5 school years; however, there is a possibility that enrollment could challenge building capacity at the ES within 10 years.
Because there is no practical way to build an addition to the ES due to its location, longer term plans are being considered to cope with possible increased enrollment (more on that later in this presentation).

7. Bus Garage Considerations
The district’s current bus garage, constructed in the 1940s and 50s, is attached to the Elementary School. The current garage has these drawbacks:
The bays are not adequately sized for modern buses, and storage space for parts and tools is limited.
The location of the garage near the main pedestrian walkway from the parking lot to the school is a safety concern.
Bus parking and transportation employee parking at the Elementary School take up a substantial portion of the available parking, and buses are not adequately secured.

8. Options for Improving our Bus Maintenance Facility
Cost
Advantages and Drawbacks
Build a new bus garage at the Satellite Fields
$6.8 million (includes $2.7 million for site work) financed over 30 years
Better facility located away from the ES
Emergency shelter for Satellite Fields
Substantial ongoing cost to finance
Lease space at Albany County DPW garage
Annual lease from county - cost TBD
Better facility
Lower cost than a new garage
Stay in the current garage
No additional costs
Inadequate working space, buses not secure, location at ES impacts parking, traffic, and pedestrians

9. Leasing of Part of the DPW Garage
Leasing part of the Albany County DPW garage is the most safe, efficient, and cost effective option for our bus maintenance
The savings to our taxpayers (vs. building a new garage) are estimated at $3 million over 30 years
We will need to make an agreement with Albany County to formalize this arrangement, and we hope to move our bus maintenance to their facility in the summer of 2018
We are also pursuing options with Albany County to park all of our buses near the DPW garage, thereby securing our buses and getting them off of our school campuses

10. Overall Estimated Capital Project Cost (as of now with no new bus garage)
Project Items
Estimated Costs
Building Condition Survey Items
$4.8 million
Science and Technology Lab Renovations
$2.5 million
Total Estimated Project Cost
$7.3 million
Possible added items for athletics: bleachers with pressbox, tennis court surface replacement, track resurfacing
Cost TBD

11. Capital Reserves for the Project
In May, the district’s voters approved a new capital reserve to help fund the local share of the upcoming project
The new reserve may receive up to $500,000 per budget year to a maximum of $2 million total in the new reserve
The district has an older capital reserve that contains $1.1 million
At the start of this budget year, we were able to fully fund the new reserve for the year with a $500,000 contribution taken from the district’s unassigned fund balance, while still maintaining all of our allowed unassigned balance.
Thus, we currently have $1.6 million in capital reserves toward a goal of at least $2 million in total capital reserves to put toward the local share of the project

12. Estimated Project Impact on Annual Budget (assumes a 15 year repayment schedule)
Project Total Cost and Total Capital Reserves
Net Impact on Capital Expenses per year (compared with 17-18)
Current Net Capital Expenses in the budget
$180,000
$8 million project - $2.0 million reserves
$100 - $120 thousand reduction
$10 million project - $2.0 million reserves
$40 - $60 thousand reduction
$12 million project - $2.0 million reserves
$10 - $30 thousand increase
$14 million project - $2.0 million reserves
$160 - $190 thousand increase

13. Next Steps in the Planning Process
Discuss capital project items at Facilities Committee meetings and faculty meetings, and report to the board of education at the regular board meetings
Conduct Capital Project forums in September (scheduled for Sept 25 at 7PM), November, January, and March
Board adopts Capital Project resolution at its March meeting
Voters decide on the Capital Project at the May 2018 vote
The project will be submitted in phases to State Ed. beginning in fall 2018
Construction is anticipated to be done in 2020 and 2021

14. Longer Term Considerations
The district is exploring options to cope with the longer term enrollment growth that may occur
An option that we are examining is the purchase of land adjacent to the Satellite Fields that would offer possibilities for future expansion – pre-engineering work is being done to assess the suitability of these properties for use by the district
The possibility of a new school building, if it is needed to accommodate increased enrollment, would most likely be years in the future. One option a future board of ed. could consider is a grades 3-5 Elementary School on the current satellite fields, with the existing Elementary School becoming a grades K-2 school.
If the board decides to proceed with land purchase, the board would need to pass a resolution to present a separate ballot question to voters on the May 2018 ballot to approve the purchase
There would be no work done on the land immediately as part of the Capital Project to be voted on in May 2018 – the property would be for future expansion if it is deemed necessary at a later time

15. The Importance of Capital Reserves
In order to responsibly fund capital projects, adequate capital reserves are necessary
For aidable capital projects, the district currently has a 60% state aid ratio. This means that 40% of the project must be funded by local revenues.
For the approximately $8 million project that we will vote on in May 2018, the local share would be $3.2 million. With our current $1.6 million in capital reserves and 3 more budget cycles to contribute up to $500,000 per cycle, the district will have ample reserves to fund this project with a modest amount of borrowing
A potential larger future project in 8-10 years will require another capital reserve with even greater funding that must be contributed to over an extended period of years – this will require planning and fiscal discipline to make substantial contributions to the capital reserve over many budget cycles