A state-required survey of Marlboro Central School District facilities identified an estimated $34.6 million in capital needs, though district officials have not committed to any work.

Architects John Sokol and Scott Duell of BCA Architects & Engineers in Troy present-ed the Building Condition Survey to the Board of Education at a recent meeting. They said the district met the state’s timeline for inspections and field work. All collected data will be submitted to the state Education Department by March 1, 2027.

The department requires every school district to have its facilities evaluated by licensed architects and engineers every five years.

Duell said the survey gives districts a road map of “data to properly plan and prioritize individual building needs, with a focus on resolving health and safety issues [and] to plan for future building aid reimbursement.”

He said the state “wants you to look at all of the items in your facilities such as mechanical, electrical, plumbing, finishes, ceilings to focus on any health and safety issues you may have and also to put together cost estimates for items that have reached the end of their useful life.”

The survey identifies deficiencies and concerns that should be addressed in the short and long term, Duell said. The process also helps the state better understand the fiscal impact of construction statewide.

Duell said the survey does not address anything “programmatic,” such as creating a STEAM program, which stands for science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. It focuses instead on these areas:
• Site utilities and features: water, sanitary, gas and oil, electrical services, drain-age, roads, parking lots, pavement, sidewalks and athletic fields.
• Building structures: footings, foundations, columns and structural flooring.
• Building envelope: interior and exterior walls, chimneys, steps, stairs, windows, roofs and fire escapes.

• Building interior: walls, carpet and flooring, ceilings, ramps, elevators, swim-ming pools, lockers and bleachers.
• Mechanical systems: heating, ventilation and air conditioning; piping; plumbing; ducts; and control systems.
• Electrical systems: power supply and distribution, lighting, emergency exit lighting, fire alarms, carbon monoxide detection and communication equipment.

BCA also evaluated the district’s transportation facility, including its fuel system and bus washes. The firm assessed the environment, comfort and overall health of the buildings by checking appearance, cleanliness, noise, lighting, vermin control, indoor air quality and mold.

Duell put the total cost of a capital project at $34,564,122, but stressed that the district must review the survey, decide what to address and develop a timeline. He said the district has not committed to anything and is under no pressure to begin work.

Duell broke down the cost by building:
• High school: $12.5 million
• Elementary school: $9.9 million
• Middle school: $5.3 million
• Administration building: $3.6 million

• Middle Hope Elementary School: $2.4 million
• Maintenance building: $590,000

He said those figures do not include contingencies and incidentals.

Duell said other factors must be considered in a capital project, including inflation, design and construction contingencies, and incidental costs such as testing, surveys, print-ing and bonding. If the district did all the recommended work, those costs could push the $34.5 million project to more than $61 million.

When BCA conducts a survey, it compiles all parts of a project and their costs so a district can see the full scope of work, Duell said. The district could instead prioritize the work over five years rather than pursue the full $61.2 million project. If the district chooses to start with some of the recommended items, it would develop a project for a possible referendum vote on May 18, 2027, to address the most pressing needs.

Board members said they will review the survey in the coming weeks.