CORTLANDVILLE, NY (607NewsNow) – OCM BOCES is asking voters to approve a capital improvement project.

In the proposed project, New York State would cover 65% of the $30.5 million dollar price tag, while the rest of the cost would be covered by taxes in component districts.

It would be the first major capital project that OCM – which serves Onondaga, Cortland, and Madison Counties – has done in over 30 years. School officials say over that time, enrollment has increased, including a rapid rise of nearly 30% over the last five years at the Thompson Road Campus in Syracuse, and the Cortlandville Campus.

In Cortlandville, the project includes major work at the McEvoy Building that would address critical infrastructure needs and avoid more expensive repairs in the future.

Improvements include:

  • partial roof, exterior wall, and window replacements
  • elevator upgrades
  • security entry vestibule and office renovations
  • health OCC classroom and lab renovations
  • graphics, special ed, and cosmetology classroom renovations
  • gym renovations
  • CTE unit ventilator replacements
  • chiller replacement
  • convector replacement
  • CTE building controls replacement
  • electrical power distribution replacements
  • exit lighting expansion
  • emergency generator replacement
  • fire alarm system replacement
  • access control upgrades.

The capital project includes a comparable slate of replacements, renovations, and critical work at the Thompson Road Campus.

You can read more about the project here, including a cost-per-district-household breakdown. In Cortland County, that includes Cortland, Cincinnatus, Homer, Marathon, and McGraw.

Voting happens tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cortlandville Campus, located at 1710 NYS Route 13, Cortland. Voting will also happen at OCM BOCES campuses in Liverpool and Syracuse.