Update 12/13/17 

Thank you to the Oneida City School District community for your overwhelming support of the sale of the Oneida Castle School building.  Last night the proposition to sell the Oneida Castle School building passed with 206 votes in support of the sale and 24 opposed to the sale. 

There are a few more steps that MEID construction will need to take to have the sale finalized.  The initial bid/purchase offer is contingent upon the zoning laws changing, ingress and egress approval, leasing of the tennis courts, and allowing the septic system to be fixed/replaced.  All of the contingencies are to be decided by the Village of Oneida Castle.

As a school district, we will provide you with information as we receive it.

Again, thank you to our school community for your support!  #OneidaStrong



Special Vote to Sell Oneida Castle Elementary Building
 

December 12, 2017- 12 noon - 9 p.m.

at Oneida High School & Durhamville Elementary School

 

WHY IS THE BUILDING FOR SALE?

The Oneida Castle Elementary building was closed due to state wide budget shortfalls in the summer of 2011.  The district made the difficult decision to close the building and relocate students and staff to other buildings throughout the district.  The district has maintained the Oneida Castle Elementary building for the past five years.  During that time the district has attempted to find occupants for the building but have not been able to find an occupant.

In early spring of 2016, the school district was approached by a local business looking to potentially purchase the Oneida Castle building.  The district engaged in a discussion with the potential new buyer about uses of the building.  Additionally, the district engaged in conversation with the Village of Oneida Castle to make sure that the sale of the building would be beneficial for the full community. 

 

WHY ARE RESIDENTS VOTING ON THIS?

The school district consulted with our attorneys to ensure that we follow all NY State laws and NYS Education Department regulations to sell the building. The district was directed by legal counsel to complete an open bid for any person/business that would like to purchase the building.  On September 15, 2017, the bid was opened and the highest bid was MEID Construction of Sherrill, NY.   MEID Construction hopes to use the Oneida Castle Elementary building to house a new office building for their company, storage for materials, and to convert approximately half of the building into senior housing.  The last step in our process, as required by state law, is to hold a formal public vote and receive approval from a simple majority of voters in order for the sale to become final.

With the sale of the Oneida Castle Elementary building, the building will be placed back on the tax rolls assisting both the school district and local municipalities.  Additionally, the Oneida City School District will no longer need to maintain the building providing the district with an estimated savings of $40,000 per year.

We ask that voters take time on December 12, 2017 to vote at either Durhamville Elementary or Oneida High School.

PROPOSITION

Shall the following proposition be adopted: Resolved, that the Board of Education  of the Oneida City School District is hereby authorized to sell school district property known as the former Oneida Castle School, located at 10 Castle Street in the Village of Oneida Castle, being a portion of Tax Map No. 321.015-1-11, consisting of an approximately 24,815 square foot building and 1.6+/- acres of land, which is no longer needed for School District purposes, at a price of Two Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($225,000) upon the terms and conditions approved by the Board.

 

HOW CAN I GET ADDITIONAL INFORMATION?

There is an information meeting about the Special Vote to Sell Oneida Castle Elementary Building on December 4, 2017 at 6:00 PM- Oneida HS library


One page information sheet about Special Vote