Voters in the Sullivan West Central School District approved a $25.8 million capital project on Wednesday with 273 votes in favor and 132 votes opposed. 

As previously reported in the Democrat, the capital project addresses numerous infrastructure needs and other upgrades the district says are top priorities. 

“On behalf of the Board of Education and myself we would like to give our heartfelt thanks to the entire Sullivan West community for coming out and supporting the Proposition for the Capital Project,” said Sullivan West Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Bressler. “This project will help us keep our buildings safe and efficient. Thank you.”

In the elementary school in Jeffersonville, the district plans to replace the nearly 40-year old boiler system, as well as windows which date back to 1938.

The district had been concerned that if the capital project proposition didn’t pass and they had to do an emergency purchase of a new boiler then those costs would come out of their operating budget. 

The approved capital project will also repair the roofs of the elementary school as well as the middle/high school. When taken along with other repairs these upgrades will increase overall energy efficiency throughout the district.

Furthermore, the district plans to add Security Vestibules to the elementary school as well as the middle/high school “allowing us to properly vet all visitors to our buildings prior to allowing them entrance into the building.”

The district also plans to make updates to its highschool band room in order to make it ADA compliant. 

The district says they will keep the tax levy even and are using more than $3.3 million from their 2016 Capital Reserve fund to help finance the project. In addition, the district says they will receive  70.3 percent state aid on the project.