Proposed Capital Project
Questions and Answers

A. The proposed Capital Project is a comprehensive building plan to improve educational resources, address overcrowded and unsafe conditions, and rectify longstanding building infrastructure challenges. The centerpiece of the project is the construction of a new "closed campus" high school. The existing Kingston High School (KHS) will be converted to a third middle school, and the former Myron J. Michael building located on the KHS campus will be converted into an additional elementary school.

Q. How was the project developed?

A. In order for our community to be intimately involved in this process, a Steering Committee of community members, staff, and administrators worked with professional education planners to develop a 21st century vision for our district. This vision was eventually developed into a Facility Master Plan, which was brought to the Board of Education and community for discussion and analysis. The initial plan was $290 million.

Recommendations were then made to the Board of Education based on the district's highest priority needs.

Ultimately, the Superintendent of Schools recommended the components detailed above, with a revised estimated cost of $181 million, and the Board accepted this recommendation.

There are now three new committees currently working on various aspects of project planning. These include the High School Committee, Middle School Committee, and a Public Relations Committee.

Each committee consists of 12 to 15 members and at least one Board member. It is the duty of these committees to develop ideas and closely examine the components of the proposal. Members of the public are welcome to attend any of these meetings.

Q. What are the benefits of a new high school?

A. Though it has served us well, Kingston High School is overcrowded, inefficient, and no longer suited to the delivery of a modern high school education.

The proposed high school would consist of a new building in a closed campus setting that would not only be better suited to the nature of education today, but will also provide our students with a safe, secure learning environment.

By having a closed campus, the high school students will remain in school for all periods, including lunch, thereby allowing for student management and safety.

The new high school will also serve as a useful community resource. Better educational facilities will ignite interest in the District for new and relocating home and business buyers, thereby improving property values.

Q. Why can't Kingston High School just be renovated to house the students? Why can't we just build another floor onto Kingston High School ?

A. A number of studies have been conducted on how to add onto the existing main building to create an appropriate size for the population and program. Public presentations by our architect showed that a six-story addition, plus complete renovations, would be required to meet our high school program needs. This is not just a poor economic decision; the current KHS site would still be too small to have the closed campus concept that our educators and parents deem necessary.

Q. If the current KHS site is not appropriate for high school students, why is it a good choice for a third middle school?

A. The middle school population at the current high school would only house between 600 and 700 students, versus the current 2,391 high school students that occupy KHS. This is a tremendous reduction in population, and it allows for a closed campus. Renovations to the building will ensure that it functions as a true middle school.

Creation of the third middle school also helps our other two middle schools. M. Clifford Miller Middle School itself is in need of expansion to meet the growing student body.

By creating a third middle school, all middle school student learning will be enriched by smaller student populations in the three buildings.

Q. How many sites were considered for the proposed new high school?

A. The Steering Committee and administration have investigated approximately 50 sites to date. Since the New York State Education Department (SED) requires a specific size property for a new High School, site visits were conducted for properties that met those requirements. A local engineer with historical knowledge of the area evaluated all of the sites and ranked them in order of preference and suitability to District needs.

The final 15 site evaluations were included in the Master Plan and recommended to the Board. Some of the properties were immediately removed from the list due to topography issues, transportation issues, etc.

The two primary sites under consideration are the 173-acre parcel known as the Chambers Farm property, located in the Town of Ulster , and a 57.5-acre vacant land parcel known as TechCity II, also in the Town of Ulster, which was the committee's first choice.

As of July, the owner of the TechCity II site did not express an interest in selling the property to the District, so the Board began negotiations with the owner of the Chambers Farm property.

Q. Why did the District place a non-refundable deposit of $75,000 down on the Chambers Farm site?

A. It is very similar to the process an individual homebuyer conducts when interested in purchasing a house. If a buyer is interested in making a purchase, the seller is not going to hold the home for them and risk missing another buyer without some type of guarantee. A binder is placed on the property until all the necessary tests and inspections are conducted and the final sales transaction can take place. In order to hold the Chambers Farm site, a non-refundable binder of $75,000 was placed on the property.

In addition, New York 's State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) requires that environmental impacts and social and economic factors be considered during any discretionary decision-making. SEQRA uses the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to look at the different ways to avoid or reduce adverse environmental impacts as related to any proposed actions. SEQRA applies to all state and local government agencies for any publicly funded building. Before a SEQRA review can be conducted, the District must enter into a contract with the owner of the property so proper access is available for testing.

Once the District placed the $75,000 deposit on the Chambers Farm property, the SEQRA process began, which includes studies in archeology, flood plain, noise, traffic and parking, flora and fauna, and anything else that could have an environmental impact.

If the SEQRA process identifies any concerns, they are brought to the attention of the District. Different agencies, such as SED, also weigh in during the SEQRA process. After this is done, public hearings can take place.

The SEQRA process requires a primary and an alternative site-Chambers Farm and the TechCity II vacant land parcel-and the process includes evaluations of both sites.

Q. The District recently announced that it is now negotiating for the TechCity II property. Is this correct?

A. The TechCity II site was the Committee's first choice, but was unavailable to the Board until recently. An agreement has been reached with the owner for an exclusive period to negotiate a purchase and sale agreement, contingent upon the approval of Kingston voters. It gives the Board-­and community-another option to consider for the new high school.

Q. Chambers Farm is located in a 100-year flood plain. Can a school be built there?

A. Building in a flood plain is not unusual, and often necessary, especially when the options for development are limited, as they are here. Recently, 20 inches of rain fell and the property did not flood. The District's architects are confident that proper design would allow the property to be successfully utilized. Access points, main parking, and the school would be elevated above the flood plain and the school would be built on the highest points of the site. The Kingston Plaza, New York State Police barracks, Holiday Inn, and new bus facility are all built on a flood plain.

Q. If the District acquired TechCity II property, what would happen to Chambers Farm?

A. The Board of Education is still interested in acquiring the Chambers Farm property, even if an agreement is reached to purchase the TechCity II property. That's because Chambers Farm is adjacent to the TechCity II property, and the long-term advantages of having a large parcel in proximity to a new high school offer the best and most practical long-term vision for our District.

Q. Why can't the existing (former IBM) buildings at TechCity be converted to school buildings?

A. The infrastructure of the TechCity buildings is inappropriate for educational use. There are also some environmental concerns for the property since it was a former factory. In order to gain SED approval, there are specific requirements for space for students. To comply with state mandates and codes, buildings would have to be gutted and retrofitted, which our architects have determined is not a prudent use of district taxpayer money.

Q. How do we know that the project cost will not increase? What prevents the District from spending more than the amount taxpayers approve?

A. The District wants everyone to be confident that if the propositions are passed, the District CANNOT increase the project total because of cost overruns. By law, schools cannot increase the cost of Capital Projects without voter approval. Only the original amount approved by voters can be spent. More importantly, the Board and administration have taken oversight of this project very seriously.

The Board conducted an extensive search and carefully selected an architectural consultant and a construction management firm with demonstrated success in delivering large-scale school projects on time and on budget.

Q. How much is this going to cost on my tax bill?

A. A study conducted by a professional bond counsel firm on behalf of the District indicates that the District's State aid for this project will be at least 68% of all eligible costs, which means that a significant portion of the local cost is offset. If we do not take advantage of this opportunity for State aid, the money will go to other districts that have building projects planned. The average full value assessment for homes in the District is $152,000.

The cost to a taxpayer with the average full value assessment is about $60 a year, or $5 a month. This amount will increase in 2011 to $159 a year, or $13.25 a month.

Q. What will the impacts, if any, be on the local fire and police departments?

A. At the current Kingston High School campus on Broadway, on record for this year, there were 162 calls to the police department-50 were false alarms by faulty security systems. In addition, in a period of one year, there were 16 calls to the fire department-9 were false alarms, one was a dumpster fire, and one was for EMT assistance.

Without burdening taxpayers, the tighter security of a closed campus, in addition to a having a new security system, will drastically decrease calls to these departments.

Q. When is this going to take place?

A. The property acquisition and review process is now underway, and the staff committees are assisting the architect in conceptual design and programming of the new building and the transformation of the current Kingston High School to a third middle school. When the environmental work is completed, the Board is permitted by law to schedule a vote. Ultimately, the District would like to have approval in place to break ground for the new high school campus during the 2007-08 academic year.

Q. How can I learn more?

A. The Superintendent and Board of Education members are always available to speak with interested community members. Contact information is above and to the right.