TICONDEROGA -- A $23.87 million building project that would add a new High School wing is set to go before Ticonderoga Central School District voters in September.

The vote is from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at Ticonderoga High School and the Hague Community Center.

A District Facilities Committee has been working on the project for a year, Superintendent John McDonald Jr. said.

"The community was well-represented on the committee. They left no stone unturned. We identified a lot of work in terms of security and safety."

The architects, Collins and Scoville, PC, of Albany, came up with eight options for the district to chose from.

THE PROJECT

Selected were a new High School wing to house the Technology Department, with bays at the rear for the Marine and Recreational Technology Program and first-floor classrooms and gallery space for the Art Department and second-floor Music Department classrooms.

The offices for the High School, Elementary School and Middle School will be relocated to the entrance areas for security reasons, and district offices will move into the High School.

High School windows will be replaced, and the gymnasium will get a new floor and bleachers.

A new cafeteria and kitchen will be added at the Elementary-Middle School, along with new classrooms there.

The project will enclose the open-space libraries in both the middle and elementary schools so they can be used as safe areas in case of emergencies. It will also redesign the student drop-off area to make it easier for parents to use.

COST

McDonald said the $23.87 million cost of the project will be offset by 68-percent state building aid and $700,000 in State Excel Program aid.

The district plans to partner with International Paper, which has a mill in Ticonderoga, to qualify for a U.S. Department of Education Qualified Zone Academy Bond for an interest-free loan of $2.7 million. As part of the required business contribution, IP will match 10 percent of the loan.

The local share of the project amounts to about $1.01 million a year. A taxpayer with a house assessed at $100,000 and a basic STAR exemption would pay an extra $72 a year in school taxes.