Plans for the new Owego Elementary School were shared with the public Tuesday night. The 120,000-square -foot building will feature an auditorium, large instruction spaces, and isolated music rooms, all without raising taxes. Superintendent Dr. Bill Russell discussed funding, design plans, and the date of a referendum vote, which is scheduled in less than two weeks. According to Russell, Monday marked the halfway point in the rebuilding process, with it being just over two years since the flood ravaged the original school, and just under two years from the new school opening.
The district is able to build the new school with no new taxes, thanks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency covering 85 to 90 percent of the cost to rebuild. Residents will vote on a referendum on October 22nd, and the money from that vote will go toward covering the remaining cost FEMA declined to fund. FEMA aid only covers an exact replica of the old facility, which doesn’t include the new auditorium, a geothermal heating system, and other learning spaces in the school. $11 million in state funds and the local share will be used to build those areas.
October 22nd’s referendum has two parts, first voters will have to authorize borrowing $9.6 million which will be fully reimbursed by the New York State Education Department over the course of 15 years, and the second part of the referendum is allowing the district to use $1.5 million from the reserve fund. A second public information session for the project is scheduled for 7 o’clock on October 15th.
