MIDDLETOWN, CT — Middletown voters will decide Nov. 3 whether the city should borrow up to $30,426,000 for repairs and upgrades across its public schools. Mayor Gene Nocera's office explained the ballot question in a news release Thursday, Oct. 15.
The city says the work would address aging school buildings, building systems, and safety and security needs.
Roofs, HVAC and Safety Work
The project list covers several types of work. Roof replacements are planned for six city schools and buildings, with air conditioning and rooftop unit projects at six schools. Building management and HVAC control systems would be upgraded at seven schools; oil tank and boiler systems would be addressed at two schools. Safety and security updates would reach all schools.
The ballot label reads: "Shall the $30,426,000 appropriation and bond authorization for the Middletown Public Schools Districtwide Infrastructure Project be approved?" Voters answer yes or no.
The Cost to Middletown Taxpayers
The explanatory text the town clerk approved for the ballot puts the project's total cost at $30,426,000 and says about 67% of it is expected to come from State of Connecticut grants. It gives the work a useful life of more than 20 years. Under the bond ordinance, the city may issue the bonds in one or more series, each maturing no later than 20 years after it is issued.
The mayor's release puts the cost to Middletown taxpayers at $9,997,983. Superintendent Joseph Macary gave the council the same split in August: $20,428,000 back from the state, a 67.14% reimbursement rate, leaving the city's share at just under $10 million. He said the work could not all be done in one year and would take two to five years, with about two school roofs done each year.