Community to Vote on Proposed Bond for District Improvements

After nearly twenty years, Nanuet Union Free School District is proposing a new bond arrangement in order to improve many aspects of life at school. The Board of Education and central administration have thoroughly reviewed the issues that need to be addressed throughout the five schools at Nanuet, and have formulated a plan to solve them. 

This new bond will be approved only if the residents of Nanuet approve it via ballot in the upcoming weeks. Voting to approve the proposed bond will take place on Thursday, October 28th, 2021 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the high school gym.

The bond will focus on four primary areas of investment, which include infrastructure, security, athletics, and instructional area upgrades. This will develop variability within the large investment the Nanuet community is making through the bond.

Infrastructure, the first area of investment, includes renovating the roofs of each school building, as well as the installment of central air conditioning. Security, the second area of investment, consists of updating entrances to each school, as well as building security vestibules to control who enters and exits the buildings. The third area of investment, athletics, entails the construction of a synthetic turf sports field, refurbishment of the outdoor track, renovation of the tennis courts, as well as the building of new bleachers for spectators. In addition to these improvements, learning areas, including classrooms and science laboratories, will be upgraded throughout the district.

The Board of Education and central administration have tactically arranged for the bond to avoid raising tax rates, according to Dr. McCahill, Superintendent of Schools. This bond has been a long time coming, as the school district has worked tirelessly to transition into the project in a smooth and efficient manner. 

“This year, after nearly two decades, we were able to strategically retire our old debt,” he said. “Projected interest rates are at a historic low and aid is at an all-time high, with New York State paying for up to 56% of these proposed investments. Now is an opportune time to reinvest in our schools – resulting in no new taxes.”

Improvements made at school will ultimately benefit the entire community, Dr. McCahill added. Investments in the school district enrich the community and make it a better place to live.

“Investing in the improvement and modernization of schools is not only beneficial to our learning community, but to our local residents as well,” he explained. “They add value to the area and make it a more desirable place to live, work and raise a family in. These large investments are necessary to help reset the schools and best prepare them to serve both current and future generations of learners.”

As shown by the infographic, construction on the project would begin in the winter of 2022, and the entire project is aimed to be completed around the beginning of winter in 2025. 

A major aspect of this capital bond project is the student perspective on the many changes that would be made to our schools. The improvement of many areas of life at school would affect each and every student in the district.

Approval of the bond would bring the Nanuet community closer together, according to Dylan Martini, a senior. He believes the new bleachers and improved athletic facilities will increase school spirit.

“I feel that the new infrastructure bond will bring a larger sense of community into the school district,” he said. “The new athletic area will allow for more community events to occur all year.”

Martini, a member of the Varsity Football Team, is especially excited about the renovation of athletic facilities, including the building of a turf field and the reconstruction of the tennis courts. 

“I’m most looking [forward to] the athletic facilities being upgraded,” he added. “Both the field and tennis courts have had a long and [fulfilling] life but it’s time that they become updated for the better of the athletes and community.”

Other students are intrigued by the addition of central air conditioning in many of the school buildings, which will improve the comfort of the students and faculty. Camille Ackerman, a junior, expressed her thoughts on this.

“I’m most looking forward to the air conditioning improvements in the high school and middle school,” she said. 

Overall, if the infrastructure bond is approved, many improvements will be made throughout the five schools at Nanuet that many members of the community feel are necessary and substantial. In addition, communication about the bond is vital to its approval, and central administration and the Board of Education have done so effectively, according to Ackerman.

“I think the infrastructure bond will be a much-needed improvement to the schools,” she said. “I think the district has done a good job informing people [about the bond]. Everyone I know has been made aware of it by the district’s communication systems and announcements.”