SCHOOL BOARD VOTES TO RECIEVE BIDS FOR BUILDING PROJECT
$15 MILLION ESTIMATE
The Northwestern Lehigh School board voted to advertise for bidding on the new High School renovation and expansion. The vote was 5-4 in favor. Voting to advertise for bids was Willard Dellicker, Todd Hernandez, John Casciano, Joseph Fatzinger, and Todd Leiser. Voting no, Paul Fisher, Phillip Toll, Charlene Rauscher, and Darryl Schafer.
The building project plans to renovate, the gymnasium, auditorium, music room, locker rooms, 1 classroom and add a meeting room. It also calls for the demolition of the front of the existing building and moving it out 6 feet to provide new offices for the administration. This expansion then required that the driveway be moved out and expanded. The expected cost is $15,000,000, it will be more than that when the financing costs are added. The plan, as of now, is to borrow $11.5 million and use $4 million from the fund balance. The plan is to start the project, by demolition of the existing front of the building in April of 2017. The renovations to the existing building are expected to be completed by August of 2017. The completion of the expansion in August 2018.
The school district now has around $46,000,000 in debt from previous expansions, and also a $50,000,000 debt in unfunded pension liability. The addition of $11.5 million will amount to a total debt of $107,500,000. The addition of this new debt will add an additional $580,000 to existing annual payments.
The opposition to this project by the dissenting members of the board has been to the scope of the project. In a time of declining enrollment, expanding the existing building was considered by many as excessive. If compromise could have been reached, as to limiting the project to the renovations that were necessary, a consensus could possibly have been reached. The renovations would have amounted to possibly 1/2 the projected cost. The board had the votes to approve anything they wanted and did so. The over expansion at Weisenberg, left a large debt and many empty classrooms. This expansion will add to that debt with no improvement in the education of the students. It does not qualify for any help from state funds because there is no enhancement of education.
There are serious problems on the horizon for the school district, the pension obligation for this year is now 32.57% of salaries for the 2017-2018 school year. Enrollment has been declining for the last 8 years and is expected to decline more in the future, the states finances are not expanding, so there may be less money for the district in the future. The income of the districts residents has been flat for the last 8 years. The only well to draw from is the property owners of the district. The present board has made its decisions based more on envy of what other districts have than on what is sustainable by the taxpayers of this district.
The school district now has around $46,000,000 in debt from previous expansions, and also a $50,000,000 debt in unfunded pension liability. The addition of $11.5 million will amount to a total debt of $107,500,000. The addition of this new debt will add an additional $580,000 to existing annual payments.
The opposition to this project by the dissenting members of the board has been to the scope of the project. In a time of declining enrollment, expanding the existing building was considered by many as excessive. If compromise could have been reached, as to limiting the project to the renovations that were necessary, a consensus could possibly have been reached. The renovations would have amounted to possibly 1/2 the projected cost. The board had the votes to approve anything they wanted and did so. The over expansion at Weisenberg, left a large debt and many empty classrooms. This expansion will add to that debt with no improvement in the education of the students. It does not qualify for any help from state funds because there is no enhancement of education.
There are serious problems on the horizon for the school district, the pension obligation for this year is now 32.57% of salaries for the 2017-2018 school year. Enrollment has been declining for the last 8 years and is expected to decline more in the future, the states finances are not expanding, so there may be less money for the district in the future. The income of the districts residents has been flat for the last 8 years. The only well to draw from is the property owners of the district. The present board has made its decisions based more on envy of what other districts have than on what is sustainable by the taxpayers of this district.
Looks like the Dellicker Gang put this project together without input from the other four board members. What is the hurry? Looks like "Obama Care" type leadership. It is not to late have a referendum!
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