SHERBURNE – Voters in the Sherburne-Earlville School District will be going to the polls today to vote on a $25.2 million building improvement project that administrators say will have little bottom line effect on the taxpayers.

School administrators have said that while Sherburne district has a well equipped facility, improvements are needed to address current and future needs. The middle school / high school facility was built in 1970, and after 37 years, Assistant Superintendent Thomas Strain says the way the building is used has changed significantly. He added that even the newer Elementary School building is now eleven years old.

The building improvement plan calls for infrastructure updates, totaling 62 percent of the total cost; academic upgrades, totaling 12 percent; other desired improvements, totaling 12 percent; handicap accessibility upgrades, totaling 10 percent; safety and security, which amounts to 2 percent and equipment replacement, also totaling 2 percent.

“Technology is rapidly changing, and the number of hours the school is occupied increases every year. Energy costs continue to increase, and school security is always a concern and a priority. We have an obligation to protect our investment in the facilities, and we presently have an opportunity to update and upgrade our facilities at virtually no cost to local taxpayers,” Strain said in a previous interview.

The assistant superintendent explained that geothermal technology would allow the school to possess a heating system that will help the school to become more environmentally responsible, as well as decrease the amount of heating oil they require. Strain explained that the system will “greatly reduce our heating oil consumption with the implementation of geothermal technology, a system that produces no greenhouse gases and uses no fossil fuel.” The same system will also allow for the cooling of the school during the summer months.

“While you may consider this a frill, the reality is that school utilization during the summer has greatly expanded. Standardized testing and other expanding curriculum mandates continue to force schools to find more teaching time. Geothermal technology also addresses this issue, providing air-conditioning in the summer with the same equipment used to supply heat in the winter,” Strain explained.

A large number of infrastructure updates are called for in the plan, including reconstructing the front entrances of the high school and middle school and two auditorium entrances, replacing the stage floor, replacing interior doors in the swimming pool area, reconstructing a wall in the pool area due to condensation damage, replacing cafeteria equipment, relocating the middle school main office and guidance office near the main entrance, upgrading rest room facilities and adding a room for nursing mothers.