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  • Accessing West York: Financing  

  • Why Now?

    • The district started researching ways to enhance the safety and accessibility of the 65-year-old football stadium in 2017. This was due to the lack of accessible seating and restrooms, deteriorating and uneven walkways, missing railings, etc. 
    • At that time, the Board felt that spending $5 million on seating would only partially address the stadium's issues. Instead, they decided to modernize and improve access to all athletic fields to benefit the students and the community.
    • The Facilities Committee of the Board revisited the accessibility and modernization issues in 2022. They aimed to clearly understand the existing conditions and cost of improving all aspects of West York’s athletic fields. Their goal is to enhance the student-athlete experience and make West York contests and events more accessible to the community and fans.
    • Starting in the summer of 2022, the Board interviewed multiple construction companies and ultimately chose Turf Track & Court to assess our athletic venues and provide a project recommendation and estimated cost. 

    Tax Implication of Project

    • The 2023-2024 school year marks the 6th consecutive year with no tax increase.
    • The District may need to raise taxes before the completion of this project to address the increased costs of the operations budget.
    • The West York School Board has prioritized fiscal responsibility by maintaining an even debt service payment in the annual budget by strategically planning renovations and new construction projects only after paying off prior debt when funds become available. 

    Current Debt Service

    • The current debt service reflects the construction of West York Middle School, and the most recent renovations to the High School will be paid off in 2033.
    • Even though the District has nine more years of paying on its current debt, the West York Board of Directors will be able to continue this model as we seek to finance the project due in large part to a TIF agreement that was paid off when the West Manchester Town Center changed owners in 2022.
    • The agreed-upon tax break was incrementally applied to the property, and in 2022, the tax break amounted to the District paying approximately $430,000.00 of the Town Center’s taxes. 

    Financing for the project will be conducted through a 15-year bond issuance in two separate draws:

    • Draw One will be in Fall 2023
    • The District also applied for a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) Grant in the amount of $5,000,000. We could possibly find out about this grant as early as March, 2024. 
      • Draw two will be ½ way through project
        • First payment April 2024 - interest only 
        • Draw money invested to earn high-yield
          • Interest covers the cost of the payments