The Hamburg Central School District is committed to exercising care and good judgment in managing the community resources with which we are entrusted. We need to take care of our schools, an important asset the community owns. Just as one’s home ages and needs upkeep and repairs to keep it in good shape, so too do our schools. Over the past three years, the District and our Committees have developed a long-range planning initiative to identify current and future capital improvement needs and the means to responsibly achieve them. Critical safety needs and large repairs were identified and prioritized through the Building Condition Survey (BCS) process, which is mandated by the State to be conducted every five years. The District is addressing these issues now, rather than delaying and facing future higher costs and further deterioration

The Board of Education had a licensed architect perform the BCS, a comprehensive facility review that considered work completed in previous projects and conditions of all facilities. Additionally, they met with the administration and District Committees to discuss instructional areas requiring attention. The Board then reviewed the recommendations over several meetings, asked questions, and listened to the public to develop the project’s scope, delivery timeline, and financing.

The total cost of the capital project is 68.5 Million. The majority of the project’s cost will be funded by a combination of State Building Aid and the District’s capital reserve fund. The capital reserve fund is designated to be used exclusively for capital improvement projects. The remainder would be funded through the local tax levy. Due to careful project planning, financial implementation, and consideration of our taxpayers, the tax impact would not take effect until the 2030-31 school year. On average, the project’s tax increase per $100,000 assessed/equalized home value would total $121 for Hamburg residents, $116 for Orchard Park residents, $97 for Eden residents and $68 for Boston residents.

Public Referendum Vote is set for Wednesday, OCTOBER 13, 2021 at Hamburg High School from 7am to 9pm.

It’s expected that the State Education Department’s approval for the project’s initial phase would be received in early 2022, allowing work to begin next summer. The bulk of the work would take place during the summer months of 2023-2030 to maximize student safety and minimize program disruption, with final completion anticipated in late 2030.

The critical safety requirements and facilities that reached their end-of-life identified by the State-mandated Building Condition Survey would still be absolutely necessary. If the referendum does not pass, these requirements would still need to be addressed. A bond vote allows the District to receive partial reimbursement of the project’s cost through State Building Aid. Without the State’s aid, the funds for any required work would have to come from the annual budget, with local taxpayers bearing the full cost.

The current grass athletics fields, including the baseball and softball field have ongoing drainage and weather related issues that affect player safety and usability for games during wet seasons. All of these fields require frequent repairs to maintain safe, consistent use. Our students and our community would be better served by a more thorough reconstruction to correct these issues for the long term. The scope of these items is significant, warranting a review of our entire outdoor athletic and physical education program to ensure the greatest return on investment for our taxpayers. After thorough review and many discussions with consultants and stakeholders, the Board of Education agreed that adding all-weather synthetic turf at all fields would be a fiscally responsible solution that would also support the District’s commitment to providing equity among our student athletic teams and our community programs.