The Sweet Home Central School District Board of Education voted to issue a SEQR negative declaration for the districtwide capital improvement project and set a special public vote for 7 p.m. Dec. 16 at Virgil’s, the board said at its Oct. 21 meeting.

The negative-declaration motion and the resolution setting the special meeting and vote passed on voice votes after brief presentation from district staff. Don Feldman, the district’s business official, summarized the environmental review: "All this says is that there's not any significant environmental impact based upon the scope of the project." The board also authorized publishing the required legal notices in the district newspapers ahead of the December vote.

The decision follows a district outreach campaign that staff described at the meeting. Dr. Genestri told the board that residents have received mailed postcards and that the district will publish a video and a special edition of Sweet Home Source to explain the project. She said the district will hold two town halls to present details: Nov. 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the High School Auditorium and Dec. 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Middle School Auditorium, and a "Meet the Board Night" for employees on Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. at Virgil’s. The presentation and supplemental materials are posted on the district website, Genestri said.

Genestri also flagged a comment from the State Historic Preservation Office concerning Heritage Heights Elementary: the office classified the school as a "modern" design and asked the district to "take into consideration" preserving the building’s pod-style design if the district adds two classrooms. Genestri said the office did not mandate changes but that the district’s architects and the Office of Facilities Planning will address the comment during design. "They didn't say we had to. They said they would ask us to take into consideration," she said.

Board members asked procedural and scheduling questions about the vote. The district said it chose a December date in part to align the project timeline with state review and with debt-timing considerations, and to give the capital project its own public meeting rather than combining it with the budget vote in the spring. The district noted that earlier design work and bidding schedules are tied to the vote date and that starting sooner can reduce costs.

The board’s formal actions on the item were recorded in the meeting minutes. The negative-declaration resolution passed on a motion, and a separate motion to set the special meeting and vote for Dec. 16 passed the same evening.

The district declined to provide additional design or cost details during the Oct. 21 meeting beyond links to the posted presentation and said renderings will be added as they are completed for public review.

Looking ahead, the board will continue public outreach and provide updated renderings and project materials in advance of town halls and the Dec. 16 vote.