By TOM KANE

WESTERN SULLIVAN COUNTY - The moment of truth has arrived for residents of the Sullivan West School District. They go to the polls Thursday, June 22.

Today, residents will consider three propositions: one, the $49.8 million project including a new high school and renovations of three existing buildings; second, on a $2.9 million project to build an eight-lane swimming pool; and third, a $597,523 project to include 300 additional seats in the proposed auditorium.

Last Thursday, following State Education Department (SED) law, the district held its official public hearing. It turned out being a party.

Residents supportive of the project showed up at the public hearing in numbers and used the meeting to pass praises around to the board and to members of the building committee who had attended 50 meetings since the planning stage began. A parents group provided cookies and cake.

School Superintendent Michael Johndrow said the board had not considered their next move if the referendum were defeated. "We'll face that if we come to it," he said.

Johndrow said the SED allowed the district to hold future votes should the first referendum be turned down. "We may have to consider that option," he said.

He added, however, that if voters turned it down, the district would lose $2.4 million in state aid and, assuming a four percent inflation rate, would lose over $5 million total if faced with another vote six months or a year from now.

Johndrow said that, if the referendum passed, it would take six months for architects to prepare blue prints, another six months to put the project out to bid, and 18 months to complete construction.

"We would most likely have the new building and the renovation completed by Fall of 2002," he said.

Renovation and new construction would run in tandem, he said.

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