The Carle Place School District will hold a community vote on Thursday, March 19, seeking authorization to use existing capital reserve funds to complete the district’s previously approved HVAC bond project.
In October 2024, voters approved the use of $3 million in reserve funds along with a $10 million bond to replace aging heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems throughout the district.
Since that time, competitive bids for the project have exceeded original projections due to continued increases in construction material costs, price volatility and broader market conditions affecting school districts across the region.
To complete the project in its entirety, the district is requesting voter authorization to use $2.95 million from existing capital reserve funds. These funds have already been set aside for capital purposes. Approval of this proposition will not result in any additional tax impact to the community; however, New York State law requires voter approval before capital reserve funds may be expended.
“Before deciding to move ahead with a public vote on a capital reserve expenditure, we did our due diligence in exploring all options,” said Board of Education President Vanessa Dong-Monaco. “This included carefully reviewing the project to identify cost efficiencies, as well as researching cooperative purchasing contracts through BOCES, New York State and Nassau County, among other options.”
Superintendent of Schools Ted Cannone said, “The HVAC upgrades remain a critical component of our long-term facilities plan. Authorizing the use of existing capital reserve funds will allow us to complete this important work with no additional tax impact and avoid the potential cost increases associated with another rebid.”
The use of capital reserve funds will not affect other previously authorized projects, including improvements at the Rushmore Avenue auditorium and the Carle Place Middle/High School gym roof and masonry.
Polls will be open on Thursday, March 19, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Carle Place High School Multipurpose Room. All registered voters in the school district or general elections are eligible to participate.
Additional information is available on the district’s website, cps.k12.ny.us.
