Bonding Referendum
Informational MeetingsThere will be two information meetings where residents can learn more about the projects. They are:
Tyrrell Middle School - Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30PMWolcott High School - Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 6:30PM
If you are unable to attend either of these sessions in person, you can watch it live on the Town's Facebook page. The video will be available on Facebook for 30 days following that. It will also be available as a download from the Town's website.
Referendum VoteThe voting for the referendum will take place on:
Wolcott High School - Saturday, March 28, 2026 from 10:00AM - 8:00PM
ProjectsThere are a total of eight projects, three for General Government and five for the Wolcott Public Schools
General Government
Road Reconstruction, Repair and Drainage - $3,579,000
This project is a continuation of the road maintenance and upkeep projects that began over twenty years ago. Our Public Works Department staff evaluates the roads and makes prioritizations and recommendations about which roads require work. This list is updated as storms and winter weather can negatively affect roads and often change priorities.
Extensive use of Local Transportation Capital Program (LOTCIP) grants for many recent road projects has saved Wolcott taxpayers almost $7,500,000 over the past 7-8 years. These projects include Spindle Hill Road ($410,000), Beach Road ($1,865,000), Todd Road ($2,553,000) and the current Todd Road bridge over Lily Lake project ($1,865,000). Investigation is underway for a LOTCIP grant to cover the entire length of Woodtick Road, the last major artery through Town that has not been addressed. If approved, this grant could easily be more than $5,000,000.
As only certain “urban arterials or major collectors” qualify for LOTCIP grants, other road projects require bonding as a source of funding to spread the costs over many years.
Town Hall Renovations including Elevator - $380,000
Town Hall has one elevator that services the basement, first and second floors. This elevator has not been functioning since early January. This puts the Town in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) which states public buildings must be accessible to people with disabilities and buildings with more than one story must provide an accessible route between floors.
The elevator was originally installed as part of the Town Hall renovation and addition project 35 years ago in 1991. It has been maintained throughout this time by KONE, a global provider of elevators and escalators. Over the past few years, KONE has been able to provide quick fixes and patches to issues with the elevator. An estimate of $35,000 was provided for another quick fix that would not be guaranteed.
KONE has updated the quote originally provided in 2024 for a replacement elevator which includes the removal of the existing elevator hardware, engineering designs and installation of the new equipment. Additional work for other contractors including electrical, masonry, etc. may be required and is beyond the scope of KONE’s quote.
If money is left after the completion of the elevator replacement, they would be used towards the updating and renovations of the restroom facilities at Town Hall, which have not been updated since the 1991 renovation.
Senior Center Emergency Generator Replacement - $120,000
The Charles Rietdyke Senior Center provides a place for Wolcott seniors to gather, exercise, share a meal and enjoy time together. It also provides an important function as it is also an Emergency Shelter, Warming and Cooling Center for our residents. A critical requirement to being an emergency shelter is the need for power. If an outage occurs, an emergency generator will keep the lights on as well as the heat or air conditioning.
The current generator at the Senior Center is an Onan 30EK, a repurposed unit gifted to the Town by the US military. Originally built in the mid-1950s, replacement parts are extremely hard to find as the brand has been discontinued. The Onan 30EK is unable to provide clean power with greater voltage and frequency regulation needed to avoid damaging building loads. During the last inspection by Kinsley Power Systems, the engine was determined to be approaching failure and would require costly temporary power in the event it would be needed. With the increased space from the 2019 addition at the Senior Center, Kinsley Power Systems is recommending a 40kW generator to replace the outdated, underpowered existing unit.
Wolcott Public Schools
The Board of Education has created a webpage that describes their five projects. A link to that webpage will be provided below as soon as it is available.