Special meeting for voting on the 2026 Capital Project in Ripley Central School District.

Legal Notices 



NOTICE OF SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT MEETING AND VOTE

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RIPLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY, NEW YORK




The Board of Education of the Ripley Central School District, Chautauqua County, New York (the “District”) HEREBY GIVES NOTICE that a special meeting and vote of the qualified voters of the District (the “Special Meeting and Vote”) will be held on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 in the large gymnasium at the District’s Main School building located at 12 North State Street, Ripley, New York , at 2:00 p.m., prevailing time, for the purpose of voting by electric scan voting machine(s) upon the proposition hereinafter set forth. Polls for the purpose of voting will be kept open between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., prevailing time, on that day. This assumes that the polling place is open and can be safely accessed in accordance with the terms of any prevailing law(s), executive order(s) or other directive(s) from controlling authorities that may be in effect on that day. If on March 11 the polling place cannot be so accessed, or if the polling place is closed on that day due to inclement weather (or for any other reason), it is the present intention of the District that the Special Meeting and Vote will be held on the day on which the polling place is next open and may be safely accessed, with the voting hours remaining the same. In such a situation, voters are asked to please consult the District’s website for guidance on the timing of, and procedures for holding, the re-scheduled Special Meeting and Vote.




PROPOSITION NO. 1 
2026 CAPITAL PROJECT




Shall the following resolutions be adopted, to-wit:




RESOLVED, that the Board of Education (the “Board”) of the Ripley Central School District, Chautauqua County, New York (the “District”), is hereby authorized to undertake a proposed “2026 Capital Project” (the “Project”) consisting of the partial reconstruction, renovation and the construction of improvements and upgrades to various District buildings and facilities and the sites thereof, at an estimated maximum cost of $10,196,736, to implement various health, safety, accessibility and Code compliance measures that are required by the State Education Department in connection with any significant capital improvements project and various other measures that are generally described in (but are not to be limited by) the written plan for the Project that was prepared by the District with the assistance of Gordon W. Jones Associates, Architects, P.C. (the “Project Plan”), which is available for public inspection in the office of the District Clerk, with such work being anticipated to include, without limitation and to the extent as and where required, the particular elements that are described generally below. Proposed improvements are anticipated to include the renovation of select classrooms and health office suite; upgrading windows, roofs, flooring, walls, ceilings, and doors at select locations; and renovating concrete loading dock deck and exterior stair stoop. Proposed building systems upgrades are anticipated to include heating and cooling equipment and associated electrical service upgrades, generator and miscellaneous electrical upgrades such as select wiring, switch gear, light fixtures, exit and emergency lighting improvements, upgrades to boilers and pumps at the school, and electrical power upgrades at the bus garage. If the budget allows after receiving construction bids, or if other items are identified, additional similar renovations, upgrades, and site work improvements could be undertaken. All of such work (or so much thereof as can be accomplished within the overall budget for the Project, once the construction bids are received) is to be undertaken at an estimated maximum cost of $10,196,736 , and will include the purchase of original furnishings, equipment, machinery and apparatus required in connection with the purposes for which such buildings, facilities and sites are used, and all ancillary or related work required in connection therewith, and the Board is authorized to expend therefor, including for preliminary costs and costs incidental thereto and to the financing thereof, an amount not to exceed the estimated maximum cost of $10,196,736, provided that the detailed costs of the components of the Project (as generally described in the Project Plan) may be reallocated among such components, or such components may be deleted, revised or supplemented if (1) the Board shall determine that such reallocation, deletion, revision or supplementation is in the best interests of the District and (2) the aggregate amount to be expended for the Project shall not exceed $10,196,736 and (3) no material change shall be made in the overall scope and nature of the Project; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Board is hereby authorized to expend or apply toward the Project (A) the entire remaining balance (which stood at approximately $621,241 as of January 7, 2026), during the current fiscal year of the District, plus any additional interest earned, from the District’s Capital Improvements Reserve Fund, 2021, and then to terminate such fund; (B) $400,000, during the current fiscal year of the District, from the District’s Transportation Reserve Fund, 2025 and (C) $1,163,759 of other available District funds; and be it further

RESOLVED, that a tax is hereby voted to finance the balance of the estimated maximum cost of the Project in an amount not to exceed $8,011,736, such tax to be levied and collected in installments in such years and in such amounts as shall be determined by the Board; and be it further

RESOLVED, that in anticipation of such tax, obligations of the District including, without limitation, serial bonds, statutory installment bonds, bond anticipation notes and/or lease/purchase obligations, or any combination thereof, are hereby authorized to be issued in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed $8,011,736, and a tax is hereby voted to pay the interest on such obligations as the same shall become due and payable; and be it further

RESOLVED, that New York State Building Aid funds (including EXCEL Aid funds) expected to be received by the District are anticipated to offset a substantial part of such costs, and such funds shall, to the extent received, be applied to offset and reduce the amount of taxes herein authorized to be levied.

NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that such Proposition No. 1 shall appear on the ballot sheets to be utilized for voting in substantially the following abbreviated form:




PROPOSITION NO. 1

2026 CAPITAL PROJECT






YES NO




Shall the following resolution be adopted, to-wit:




RESOLVED, that (a) the Board of Education (the “Board”) of the Ripley Central School District, Chautauqua County, New York (the “District”) is hereby authorized to undertake a proposed 2026 Capital Project (the “Project”) consisting of the partial reconstruction, renovation and the construction of improvements and upgrades to various District buildings and facilities and the sites thereof, to implement various health, safety, accessibility and Code compliance measures and various other measures that are included and generally described in (but are not to be limited by) the Project Plan that was referred to in the public notice of the vote on this Proposition, and to expend therefor an amount not to exceed $10,196,736; (b) the Board is hereby authorized to partially finance the Project by expending or applying (1) the entire remaining balance (which stood at approximately $621,241 as of January 7, 2026), plus any additional interest earned, from the District’s Capital Improvements Reserve Fund, 2021, and then to terminate such fund; (2) $400,000 from the District’s Transportation Reserve Fund, 2025 and (3) $1,163,759 of other available District funds; (c) a tax is hereby voted in an amount not to exceed $8,011,736 to finance the balance of the estimated maximum cost of the Project, such tax to be levied and collected in installments in such years and in such amounts as shall be determined by the Board; (d) in anticipation of such tax, obligations of the District are hereby authorized to be issued in the aggregate principal amount of not to exceed $8,011,736, and a tax is hereby voted to pay the interest on such obligations as the same shall become due and payable; and (e) New York State Building Aid funds (including EXCEL Aid funds) expected to be received by the District in connection with the Project are anticipated to offset a substantial part of such costs, and such funds, to the extent received, shall be applied to offset and reduce the amount of taxes herein authorized to be levied.

NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that an Environmental Assessment Form has been completed for all of the anticipated work involved in the Project, which constitutes an Unlisted action under the State Environmental Quality Review Act