By Matthew White

Sun Staff Writer

mwhite@evesun.com

MOUNT UPTON – Polls will be open for a special referendum early next week for Gilbertsville–Mount Upton Central School District taxpayers as the school’s Board of Education, along with a Capital Steering Committee, hope to see the passage of a $3.2 million capital spending plan intended to facilitate some much needed updates to the nearly 20-year-old building.

The Steering Committee has worked for more that two years to put the package together. If adopted, the fringe budget would have zero impact on the district’s tax base thanks in part to financial contributions from state aid totaling some $2.7 million, as well as a Smart Schools Bond Act of $275,000.

Likewise, further financial allotments from NYS Excel Grants just shy of $50,000 have been included to address handicap accessibility, health and safety, and energy projects included in the scope of work through the capital improvement projects.

According to a 2010 building condition survey (required by the New York State Department of Education every five years), there was a marked need for GM-U to maintain or replace several components of its aging buildings infrastructure, and the district's Steering Committee says that much of the expense is for fixtures like door hardware, sink faucets, and sidewalks that have simply “reached the end of their useful service life.”