The Brewster Central School District will be seeking voter approval to transfer funds for its capital project, saying the approval will not impact taxes or debt services, and will incur no new funding.
The Brewster Vision Capital Project was approved by voters in March 2023. The multi-phase project included two separate voter proposition.
Proposition 1 included infrastructure improvements, a new high school security vestibule, synthetic turf fields, parking lot expansions, and a cafetorium addition at C.V. Starr Intermediate School. Proposition 2 included a new field house at the high school, and renovations to existing spaces for its National Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps program and STEM lab.
While the total estimated cost for the entire project remain under-budget overall, a surplus exists within the Prop. 1 budget, and a shortfall is anticipated within the Prop. 2 budget.
The shortfall is due, in part, to new safety design requirements added by the New York State Education Department during its review process, the inclusion of enhanced design improvements to the STEM lab and NJROTC location, as well as the addition of exterior restrooms and storage to service the track and fields, according to district administration.
To remedy the funding imbalance, the district is seeking voter approval to transfer the saving from the Prop. 1 budget to the Prop. 2 budget. State finance law requires voter approval to make the transfer happen.
The proposition will be added to the May 20 annual budget vote.
“We are very encouraged through the early stages of the Brewster Vision Capital Project, both in terms of finances and construction progress,” said Victor Karlsson, assistant superintendent for finance. “Our construction professionals have helped ups remain under-budget to date. We hope our community will continue to support the district by authorizing transfer funds May 20, which will ensure that the remainder of the building improvements are completed on time and under-budget overall.”
Learn more about the capital project at www.brewsterschools.org/Page/3308.
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