On Wednesday, February 5, 2020, voters in the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District approved the district’s proposed Capital Project by a vote of 1,082 to 328. The $75 million project will be funded primarily through New York State Education Department Building Aid with additional funding from the district’s capital reserve and a property tax impact of only $16.80 per $100,000 of full market value. The project will meet the needs of the district’s aging school buildings which are between 60 and 90 years old.

The project will include health, safety and security enhancements including more secured single points of entry in all school buildings, replacement of drinking water pipes in all school buildings to maximize water quality, new carbon monoxide detection systems, new safer “Baker”-style pool drains in middle/high school swimming pools, and new student pick-up/drop-off zones to address traffic and safety concerns during arrival/dismissal at Edison Elementary, Hoover Elementary/Middle School, Kenmore East High School, and Kenmore West High School.

The project will also include new artificial turf athletic fields at Kenmore East; gym upgrades and renovations at Holmes Elementary, Franklin Middle, Hoover Middle, and Kenmore West; a new adaptive playground, which would be inclusive to students of all abilities; additional single-occupant restrooms in middle and high schools; classroom additions at Edison, Lindbergh, and Hoover Elementary; and critical build needs such as roof replacement, window replacement, and resurfacing of parking lots and sidewalks.

In the months leading up to the vote, the Ken-Ton School District held public forums in each school building as well as district-wide community forums and faculty/staff forums in order to provide all members of the community with ample opportunities to learn about the project, ask questions, share concerns, and provide feedback. More information about the project can be found at www.ktufsd.org/CapitalProject.