PANAMA — Bert Lictus, Panama Central School District superintendent, believes maintaining the school is like repairing one’s home, and an upcoming $5 million project looks to do just that.

“We’re going to be engaging in some maintenance work in the building,” Lictus said of a current proposal to the community.

A vote for the 2020 Capital Improvements Project, described as primarily maintenance, is being held on Tuesday. Such capital construction projects need approval from residents of the school district. Lictus noted, though, that the current proposal, if approved, would not raise the district’s tax levy.

“It’s amazing how fast you can spend money. We’ve really made an effort to make sure the amount we spent was going to keep our tax levy flat,” Lictus said.

The project includes renovations to a secondary science lab, replacement of roof sections, renovations to bathrooms, updating lighting in the pool room and work to repair parking lots on school property.

Some roof sections set to be replaced are out of warranty and were installed more than 20 years ago. Additionally, roadways leading to the district’s onsite baseball and softball fields are slated for upgrades to improve longevity. Other work will focus on the district-operated sewer plant and general upgrades with the HVAC systems and associated technology.

The community is asked to vote on the proposed maintenance project on Jan. 21 from noon until 8 p.m. in the school’s North Gym lobby.

If district residents approve the project, school officials will then submit their project plans to the state Education Department for further approval. Lictus said if the project is approved by district residents, construction will likely begin in June 2021. He speculated that the Capital Improvements Project could be completed by Fall 2022.