The price tag for the district’s proposed building project could be somewhere between $17 million and $20 million, according to very preliminary cost estimates.

Scotia-Glenville Superintendent Susan Swartz said Monday that final cost estimates are still being determined by the board’s fi - nancial consultant and its engineering firm, Dodge, Chamberlin, Luzine and Weber. She plans to meet with representatives of the company on Sept. 19.

Resident Jerry Moore, a frequent critic of the school board, chastised the board during the public comment session for considering spending millions on “play” items like athletic fields. “The fields and the stadium can be repaired rather than replaced,” he said.

Original costs estimates were in the neighborhood of $13 million but elements have been added to the plan, including expansion and relocation of the high school library to the current art wing.

The current project includes general maintenance upgrades such as roof repairs at various buildings, renovating science and technology classrooms at the middle school and renovating technology classrooms at the high school. Athletic field improvements would include resurfacing the football fi eld with artificial turf, adding 500-seat bleachers and fixing the track. The project could also include a pilot solar energy project at one of the schools.

About $4.2 million would not affect local taxes because the district would use a $925,000 grant from the state’s Expanding our Children’s Education and Learning (EXCEL) program and other building aid, Swartz said. The remainder of the project would likely receive 81 cents of aid for every dollar spent.

“It depends on how much of your project is [eligible for state aid],” she said.

For example, constructing athletic fields by themselves does not qualify for state aid, but they can be packaged with other work that does qualify for aid. Those are the questions school officials plan to ask their consultants.

“Have we done enough of the things we need to do to make the fields fully aidable?” she said.
The vote on this proposition is tentatively set for Dec. 9.

Board members are also going to make appearances at upcoming back-to-school nights to inform residents about the building project. There will also be future community forums scheduled at a later date and information on the Web site at scotiaglenvilleschools.org.

Athletic Director John Geniti said last month that artificial turf would reduce use of other fields by 40 percent, which would give them needed rest since they are being overused now.