In 2018, voters in the Saratoga Springs City School District approved a $15.6 million proposal for outdoor improvements and renovations to all eight school buildings, as well as Gavin Park, East Side Recreation Park, and West Side Recreation Park. This project primarily focused on the revitalization of outdoor facilities and learning spaces. Work on the Great Outdoors capital project began in the spring of 2019 and was completed in the summer of 2020.
The approved project included outdoor lighting and perimeter fencing that improved the safety of facilities at multiple locations. A redesigned bus loop at Greenfield Elementary School improved the safety of student pick-up and drop-off. In addition, LED lighting in gymnasiums saved the District approximately $26,000 per year while reducing electricity consumption by 74% in those spaces. Also, new storage buildings extended the life of equipment.
Many of the items included in the capital project represented one-time expenditures that would have been difficult to include in the District’s annual operating budget. State building aid for facility improvements was typically only available for work completed as part of a capital project. When voters approved the capital project proposal, approximately 27 percent of all project costs were offset by state aid.
When voters authorized this investment in Saratoga schools and the community, the District estimated that no additional new taxes would be levied to support the project. State building aid covered an estimated 27% of the capital project. The remaining costs, approximately $11.4 million, were financed largely through an existing Capital Reserve Fund and existing debt that expired.
Click here to see what was included in The Great Outdoors Project.