2 Public SchoolS of the tarrytownS • bridgeS

2013November P u b l i c S c h o o l S o f t h e t a r r y t o w n S

Dear Residents,

After hearing from many community members the Board has decided to put a Capital Projects Bond to a vote.

The majority of the project’s scope are facilities related, such as roof repair, brick work, and putting in an elevator at the three story Morse School. ( Please note school elevators are only used for students, staff, and family members with disabilities and for moving heavy equipment.)

The important issue of adequate access to athletic fields is a source of concern for many residents of all ages. We have designed a budget resolution which gives voters a choice about whether to support a synthetic turf field at the high school, or to support two fields—one at the high school and one for the lower field at Washington Irving School.

In this newsletter you will find information about the details of the project and the costs to households. The Board and committee members from throughout the villages have worked hard for over a year. They have revisited and revised earlier proposals to make this one a reasonable balance between the need to maintain our school buildings, and offering expanded access to athletic fields to keep our children engaged in healthy outdoor activities. The Board and Committee continually considered the impact of taxes on all of you.

Thank you for your consideration of this plan.

Please come out to vote on December 10.

Mimi Godwin President, Board of Education

A Letter from The Board President

Frequently Asked Questions About the Dec. 10 Propositions

imPortant Voting and regiStration informationThe voting for Propositions 1 and 2

will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tarrytown residents vote at Washington Irving SchoolSleepy Hollow residents vote at Morse School

To be eligible to vote, a person must be:•18yearsofageorolder•AU.S.citizen•Aresidentofthelocalschooldistrictfor30daysorlonger,

immediately preceding the election

Any resident interested in registering to vote can do so in person between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, on any day that school is in session, at the District Clerk’s Office, 200 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, through Dec. 5, 2013 (five days before the vote).

Evening registration will also take place on Tuesday, Dec. 3 (one week before the vote date) between the hours of 4 and 8 p.m. in the Board Room of the Administration Building, 200 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow.

Anyone voting by absentee ballot must request an application by contacting the District Clerk at 914-332-6241 or via email at nvalentin@tufsd.org. If the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, the completed application must be received by the District Clerk no later than 4 p.m. on Dec. 3.

If the ballot is to be delivered personally by the voter, the completed application must be received by the Clerk of the District no later than 4 p.m. on Dec. 9.

Q What level of community involvement took place in making this decision?

The improvements called for in these propositions have been investigated and reviewed over a period of many years by community members and building professionals. A report on Tarrytown’s fields was conducted in 2008. The Capital Projects Steering Committee, made up of

District officials and community members, spent a year studying the conditions of the District’s facilities and fields and reported their findings to the Board of Education in January 2013. The Board held a Community Forum on the capital projects in September, and held two subsequent meetings to discuss the propositions. On October 17, they voted unanimously to put the bonds on the ballot.

Q Why are these bond proposals necessary?Proposition 1 calls for facilities and field

improvements that are long overdue in our schools. Because the District’s elementary schools are aging, maintenance and improvements called for in the bond include roof replacements and repairs, electrical upgrades, a switch from oil to gas service at Washington Irving School, an elevator and

continued on page 2

Special Bond edition 2013

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Frequently Asked Questions continued from page 1

lift system at the Winfield Morse School, upgrades to ventilation systems, and masonry work on deteriorating chimneys. Proposition 2, a more modest proposal to install synthetic turf at the Washington Irving lower field, has been called for by District parents and community groups to meet the demands and needs of our students whose participation in Tarrytown sports has skyrocketed in the last decade.

Q What improvements to the facilities would be made under Proposition 1?

The older sections of roofs on all school buildings in the District would be repaired, at an estimated cost of $2.3 million District-wide. Masonry work on chimneys at Winfield Morse, Washington Irving, and the Administration Building would help to repair exterior chimneys. An elevator and lift system would be installed at Morse, and a freight elevator at

the Sleepy Hollow High School would be refurbished, costing an estimated $790,000. Ventilation upgrades and gas service would be installed at Morse, and a new electrical switch gear would be installed at Washington Irving. A 40- by 70-foot multi-purpose building would be constructed at the High School, which would house the grounds department, transportation offices, a training room, storage rooms, and rest rooms. The cost of constructing the multi-purpose building is estimated at $1.1 million.

Q What athletic field improvements would be made?

Proposition 1 calls for the installation at Sleepy Hollow High School of a synthetic turf field and fencing at the multi-purpose athletic field, new sod and irrigation at the SHHS baseball infield, safety netting, and new goal posts. New sod and irrigation work will be done at Washington Irving’s

upper field, thanks to a donation from the family of the late Howard Godwin. The total cost of field work under Proposition 1 would be $1.4 million.

Proposition 2, which has been proposed as the result of community sentiment, calls for the installation of synthetic turf at Washington Irving’s lower field, which is extensively used by school district and community athletes. The installation of synthetic turf at that field, say proponents, would provide athletes with more playing time, allow grass fields to “rest,” and give the District more flexibility to use the Peabody Field primarily for practices. The total cost of Proposition 2 would be $1,657,500.

Q Why is an elevator at the Morse School included in the bond proposal?

The federal Americans with Disabilities Act requires that buildings provide reasonable access to disabled individuals, and the construction of an elevator at Morse would bring the school into compliance. Currently, physically disabled students have a difficult time gaining access to that building’s most important lower-level rooms – the gymnasium and the cafeteria. The construction of a three-story exterior elevator at Morse, and an interior lift system that would provide access from the first floor to the lower level, would be less costly than the alternative, a four-story interior elevator.

Q Why do we need synthetic turf athletic fields?

Synthetic turf fields provide the District and the community with more playing time and require less maintenance than grass fields. The Tarrytown schools and the surrounding community have experienced a rapidly growing demand for the use of fields, with an increasing number of District students involved in modified, junior varsity, and varsity sports, along with league sports provided by groups like AYSO soccer, the Wolfpack youth football league, the YMCA and the Tarrytown Recreation Department.

Q What happens if voters approve Proposition 2, but defeat Proposition 1?

Proposition 2, no matter the vote, would only pass and be implemented if Proposition 1 is passed by voters. If Proposition 2 is defeated by voters and Proposition 1 is passed, the District would

implement all of the improvements called for in Proposition 1.

Q What is the life expectancy of a synthetic turf field?

H2M, the District’s architects for this proposal, say that with regular maintenance the life expectancy of a synthetic turf field is 15 years. Maintenance of the turf fields is also less expensive than maintenance of grass fields, which currently costs the District approximately $41,000 a year. In addition, the average grass playing field uses about 50,000 gallons of water a week to maintain it during the growing season, another cost to the District.

Q How many school districts in the region have synthetic playing fields?

Of 37 public high schools in Westchester County, 25, or 68 percent, have at least one synthetic playing field and a number of those have multiple synthetic playing fields.

Q How will we pay for the capital projects?

In addition to $800,000 in reserves and $70,000 in private donations, the District would borrow $8,846,138 for the projects in the form of bonds, with a 15-year payment schedule. Because of the District’s favorable bond rating and market conditions, Tarrytown expects to be able to take advantage of interest rates of approximately 4.5 percent. Bonding is expected to take place in the 2015-2016 school year, and taxpayers will not see an impact until the 2016-2017 school year. The District is expecting to receive 30 percent reimbursement from New York State.

Q What will the tax impact be?On page 3 of this newsletter, you can

see charts explaining what the tax impact will be for Proposition 1 only, and for Propositions 1 and 2 combined. Tax bill increases would range from $3.75 a month to $18.43 a month, depending on whether both propositions pass and on the average tax bill paid by homeowners in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown.

Date of Vote:

DECEMBER 2013

Expected State Education Department Approvals

JULY 2014 Project Timeline

Please feel free to email any questions you might have about the Dec. 10

Propositions to capitalbonds@tufsd.org, and we will get back to you with answers.

Bids Awarded

AUgUST OR SEPTEMBER 2014

Construction Starts

LATE 2014/EARLY 2015

3bridgeS

Proposition 1 Revenue Sources

Propositions 1 & 2 Revenue Sources

PROPOSITION 1: SCHOOL TAx BILL ESTIMATES ON

$7.188 MILLION NET BOND NET COST ON TAx BILL: .899%

PROPOSITIONS 1 AND 2: SCHOOL TAx BILL ESTIMATES ON

$8.846 MILLION NET BOND NET COST ON TAx BILL: 1.106%

Reserve Funds $800,000

Reserve Funds $800,000

Private Donation, $70,000*

*Private Donation, $70,000

Bonded Amount to be Raised by Taxes, $7,188,638

Bonded Amount to be Raised by Taxes, $8,846,138

* A private donation of $70,000 would be made to sod and irrigate the WI upper athletic field, courtesy of the family of the late Howard Godwin.

* A private donation of $70,000 would be made to sod and irrigate the WI upper athletic field, courtesy of the family of the late Howard Godwin.

Average Tax Bill Annual Increase Monthly Increase

$5,000 $55.30 $4.61

$10,000 $110.60 $9.22

$15,000 $165.90 $13.83

$20,000 $221.20 $18.43

SCHOOL TAx BILL SCENARIOS

Average Tax Bill Annual Increase Monthly Increase

$5,000 $44.95 $3.75

$10,000 $89.90 $7.49

$15,000 $134.85 $11.24

$20,000 $179.80 $14.98

SCHOOL TAx BILL SCENARIOS

4 Public SchoolS of the tarrytownS • bridgeS

Non-ProfitUS Postage

PAIDPermit #91005

White Plains, NY 10605

CARRIER PRESORTPOSTAL CUSTOMERTarrytown/Sleepy Hollow, NY

10591

ufSd of the tarrytowns200 North BroadwaySleepy Hollow, NY 10591www.tufsd.orgSchool News-Cable Channel 77

board of educationMimi Godwin, PresidentVincent Nadile, Vice PresidentCarol Banino, TrusteeCraig Laub, TrusteeJennifer Liddy-Green, TrusteeB. Joseph Lillis, Trustee Katharine M. Swibold, Trustee

Superintendent of SchoolsDr. Christopher Clouet(914) 631-9404

Evelyn McCormack, Editor Maria Ilardi, Art Director

The Public Schools of the Tarrytowns do not discriminate on the basis of sex, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, citizenship, age or disability or any other protected classification in its employment, admissions practices, vocational opportunities or access to and treatment in programs or activities, in accordance with Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Inquiries concerning application of these regulations may be made to the Assistant Superintendent of the UFSD of the Tarrytowns, 200 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. 10591.

YES NO PROPOSITION NO. 1 (a) That the Board of Education of the Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns, in the County of Westchester, New York (the “District”), is hereby authorized to construct improvements and alterations to District buildings and sites (the “Project”) including roof replacement and/or reconstruction, the construction of a new multi-purpose facility, elevator installation and/or refurbishment, mechanical and masonry improvements and athletic improvements, including a new turf field at Sleepy Hollow High School and to expend not to exceed $8,058,638 therefor; (b) that a tax is hereby voted in an amount of not to exceed the estimated total cost of $8,058,638 to finance such cost, such tax to be levied and collected in installments in such years and in such amounts as shall be determined by said Board of Education; (c) that in anticipation of said tax, bonds of the District are hereby authorized to be issued in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed $8,058,638, and a tax is hereby voted to pay the interest on said bonds as the same shall become due and payable; and (d) that the Board of Education is hereby authorized to establish a capital reserve fund to be designated “Capital Reserve Fund 2013” (the “Fund”) to pay a portion of the cost of the Project; the probable term of the Fund will not exceed five (5) years from the date of its establishment; the Fund will consist of moneys transferred from time to time from surplus or other available moneys of the District; the ultimate principal amount of the Fund will be $800,000 plus interest earnings thereon; and all moneys in the Fund are hereby authorized to be expended for the Project and any such moneys so expended shall reduce by like amount the taxes and bonds herein authorized.

YES NO PROPOSITION NO. 2 (a) THAT IN THE EVENT BOND PROPOSITION NO. 1 IS APPROVED, the Board of Education of the Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns, in the County of Westchester, New York (the “District”), is hereby authorized to construct a turf field at the Washington Irving School and to expend not to exceed $1,657,500 therefor; (b) that a tax is hereby voted in an amount of not to exceed the estimated total cost of $1,657,500 to finance such cost, such tax to be levied and collected in installments in such years and in such amounts as shall be determined by said Board of Education; and (c) that in anticipation of said tax, bonds of the District are hereby authorized to be issued in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed $1,657,500, and a tax is hereby voted to pay the interest on said bonds as the same shall become due and payable; and (d) that if this Bond Proposition No. 2 is approved, it shall become effective only in the event that Bond Proposition No. 1 is approved.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF THE TARRYTOWNS

PAPER BALLOT BOND VOTEDECEMBER 10, 2013