Thank you for your support of the bond! We are so excited to start this next endeavor. The Eldred Central School District appreciates your support!!

Please watch our introductory video about the Eldred School District bond project and the major projects that encompass the bond.

Please fill out form below, if you have any Bond Questions.
Bond Question Form

Capital Bond Project Newsletter - Special Issue - November 2022

Eldred Bond Project FAQ

1). How long will renovations to the sports facilities take?

As of October 2022 and using conservative construction projections, the construction time period will be from late October 2024 through the summer of 2025.

2). During the extensive renovations to the sports facilities, where will student athletes practice and play games?  

After speaking with our engineers and architects, the current plan is to start construction late spring 2024 and finishing September of 2024.  This would allow for our athletic schedule to be altered in order to host some home games during the baseball season and football season.  All outdoor athletics games will be away games during construction.

3). If students will need to be bused to different facilities to practice and play games, what is the projected cost of the extra travel expenses? Do we have bus drivers and buses to meet this new demand?

We plan on utilizing our practice fields at Eldred Junior Senior High School and George Ross Mackenzie Elementary School,  as we have done in the past. We also will be reaching out to the Towns of Lumberland and Highland to see if our student athletes can utilize community fields during construction. We plan to keep practices in district. Already existing bus runs will service participating students; there will be no additional cost to the district regarding buses or drivers.

4). Have voters been made aware that students will have to travel to offsite practice/game sites? Are parents aware that they may not get to watch their child play a home game until the project is complete?

We are still finalizing logistics and details and will communicate our plans once determined. There will be constant communication with students, parents and our community regarding practice sites and games.

5). George Ross Mackenzie Elementary School is not big enough to host multiple teams for games and practice. Has leasing properties for practice sites been considered? 

We will be reaching out to the Towns of Lumberland and Highland, along with community organizations, to finalize other potential locations for practices during construction.

6). The current conditions of the athletic fields seem to stem from a lack of pride, scheduled maintenance and upkeep. Will a new sports facility ensure that someone will remove the trash after a Friday night game?

The Eldred Central School District has consistently cared for and maintained our facilities. However, heavy use over their many years of use has rendered them in a condition where replacement is necessary for the safety and enjoyment of our athletes. After the new fields and facilities are in place, school district building and grounds personnel will continue to care for them, including ensuring cleanliness after athletic events.

7). The school partners with the community AYSO league, a feeder program for Eldred soccer teams. Having no facilities for the community feeder system will make it nearly impossible to continue the program. Have you considered the effects of NO youth soccer programs on the future of Eldred soccer?

Our school district values the importance of athletics and fitness in our students’ lives. We will work with the AYSO league and any other youth league program to ensure that sports’ youth leagues will continue in Eldred. 

8). The school could not adequately uniform my son to play modified football. He is wearing off-colored uniform practice pants to games. Why is a turf field necessary when you cannot uniform existing teams? 

Uniforms and helmets were ordered last spring, but unfortunately, due to supply-chain issues beyond our school district’s control, we have yet to receive all of our uniforms and/or equipment. In our Section IX athletic region, schools were 900 helmets short due to supply-chain issues. In addition, we now have almost double the number of students participating in football this year. We went from 24 participating students to 43.

9). Eldred cannot field basic teams at all levels. Why is a sports facility of this caliber necessary? 

Interest and participation in sports continues to grow. We have 104 students participating in a sport this season; that’s 45% of Eldred Junior Senior High School’s population. Varsity Football has 17 players; Modified Football has 26. Last year we had 26 students playing varsity and modified football. This year, we have 43 students. Sixteen boys and 17 girls are playing varsity soccer this year. Thirteen girls are playing modified soccer. We also have cheerleading for the first time in five years; 10 girls are participating. Overall, we have a significant number of sports teams for a school of our size. Hopefully, with the growth of our peewee football team, Little League Baseball and the AYSO soccer league, our sports teams will continue to grow, enabling our schools to field teams at all levels. We are small but mighty. 

10). How will you ensure the timely completion of the project?

Savin Engineers will be our school district’s on-site construction manager. Its payment is tied to its guarantee that all deadlines and timeliness will be met. Our school district’s leadership team will be in constant communication with the construction manager to ensure that our deadlines are met satisfactorily. 

11). How are you going to keep students separated from the construction project? 

Once construction starts, the area will be fenced off. Students and staff members will not be allowed on the construction site. Construction workers will not be allowed in the school. The on-site construction manager will partner with our school district to ensure students and adults are safe. The construction trailer will be located in the upper parking lot to ensure the safety and security of the construction site.

12) What is meant by an 'all-weather' field?

The new soccer and football field will be made of synthetic material, virgin rubber, in order to assist with drainage and to keep the integrity of the filed intake for all practices and games.

13) What kinds of sustainability considerations have been factored into this large-scale project at this point in time?

For the building work: the improvements we will meet or exceed the latest edition of the NYS energy code, so will insulate where appropriate, especially the roof (which Sullivan county is in a different zone), update HVAC controls for efficiency, update plumbing fixtures for low-flow usage, provide LED fixtures and lighting for the emergency exit signs.

For the track/field work: We will provide new LED lighting for long-term energy savings. The synthetic turf does not require mowing, fertilizers or watering like natural grass does, thereby reducing use of fossil fuels, carbon emissions and chemical applications required for maintenance.

For the site work: For stormwater management green infrastructure design practices including soil restoration, runoff reduction, preservation of undisturbed areas and use of native plant material will be implemented leading to a sustainable environment and landscape approach.

Where do I vote?

At the Junior-Senior High School building, 600 Route 55, Eldred, New York.

Qualifications to vote:

In order to be legally qualified to vote in the annual school district budget vote and Board of Education election, a person must be:

• A citizen of the United States.

• At least 18 years of age or older.

• A resident within the Eldred Central School District for at least 30 days immediately preceding the voting (must be your primary, permanent residence).

• Registered to vote. The registration of voters is valid for a period of four years. If the resident has not voted within that period, they must re-register. Residents of the district who are registered to vote in a general election are eligible to vote at school district meetings and elections without further special school district registration.

How do I register?

If you are registered to vote in general elections, you are automatically eligible to vote in school elections. If you are not registered, you may obtain a voter registration form from the District Clerk at the Eldred JSHS. Voters may also obtain a form from Sullivan County Board of Elections at http://www.co.sullivan.ny.us or call (845) 807-0400 / Orange County Board of Elections at www.orangecountygov.com/elections or call (845) 360-6500.

- or -

Register with the District Clerk at the Junior-Senior High School

600 Route 55, Eldred, NY 12732

Office Hours: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday

You must bring a photo ID and proof of residence

Voting by Absentee Ballot:

Absentee ballots are available for voters who are residents of the district but will not be able to physically vote in their designated polling place.

Absentee ballots are available if you are:

• Unable to vote in person because of illness.

• Planning to be out of the area on vacation or business.

• Confined to prison due to conviction of an offense other than a felony.

• Accompanying a spouse, parent, or child of the same residence who can't come to the polls for one of the above reasons.

How do I get an absentee ballot?

Please be aware that there is a two-step process to receive an absentee ballot.

Fill out an application for an absentee ballot to confirm why you will not be able to vote in person.

Fill out the actual absentee ballot to cast your vote.

STEP ONE - Fill out the application for an absentee ballot

First, you must fill out an application for an absentee ballot (PDF) to confirm the reason why you will not be able to vote in person. There are two ways to fill out the application:
You can download and print the application for an absentee ballot (PDF).
You can call the district clerk at (845) 456-1009 and ask to have it mailed to you.

STEP TWO - Fill out the actual ballot to cast your vote.

After you fill out and submit the application for an absentee ballot to the District Clerk, you will receive the actual absentee ballot to cast your vote. Anyone can pick-up multiple absentee ballot applications, but the voter should write on the application who will personally pick-up an absentee ballot, or it will be assumed to mail. We are governed by law and there is no exception to this rule.

It is important to remember that if you want your absentee ballot mailed to you, all applications for absentee ballots MUST be received by the District Clerk at least seven days prior to the vote.

Completed absentee ballots must be received by the district clerk no later than 5 p.m. the day before budget vote and election. For more information, contact the district clerk's office at (845)456-1009.

• Q: Do districts have to make absentee ballots available?
  A: Yes. All school districts are required by law to make absentee ballots available to qualified voters for the election of school board members, school district public library trustees, the adoption of the annual budget, and school district public library budgets and referenda.

• Q: Who is entitled to an absentee ballot?

• A: Any qualified voter who is unable to vote in person due to illness or physical disability, hospitalization, incarceration (unless incarcerated for conviction of a felony), travel outside the voter’s county or city of residence for employment or business reasons, studies, or vacation on the day of the election.

• Q: Can a resident with dual home ownership vote in person in one district and by absentee ballot in the other?
  A: No. A person may have only one legal residence or domicile for purposes of voting at a school district election. Without proof of permanent residence, the owner of a home within a school district would not be entitled to an absentee ballot. The term "residence" shall be deemed to mean that place where a person maintains a fixed, permanent, and principal home and to which he/she wherever temporarily located, always intends to return. A person may have only one legal residence or domicile, and that is the place where such person intends to have his or her permanent residence or home.

Board of Education Election:

In addition to voting on the proposed budget, district residents vote to elect Board of Education members each year. All candidates must file a petition and meet the following criteria:

• Must be able to read and write

• Must be a qualified voter of the district, that is, he/she must be a citizen of the United States

• At least 18 years or older

• Not be a convicted felon or have been adjudged incompetent

• Must be and has been a resident of the district for at least one year prior to the election but need not be a taxpayer

• Maybe the only member of his/her family on the school board (defined as those within the same household)

• May not simultaneously hold another incompatible public office

• Must not have been removed from a school district office within one year of the election

• May not be a current employee of the district

Please direct all budget questions to the Business Office 845-456-1050 and
all voting questions to the District Clerk 845-456-1009.