Community News

School district, library declare first joint bond to target repairs

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Infrastructure improvements are taking center stage as the East Meadow School District and the East Meadow Public Library have proposed their first joint bond referendum, each releasing plans for major improvements.

If passed by voters, a projected $44.2 million bond would fund a host of infrastructure upgrades at schools across the district, including new roofs and heating, cooling, electrical and plumbing systems, as well as athletic fields and facilities at the high schools.

For the library, a $14.6 million bond would mean upgrades to critical systems, as well as two additions to the building.

Schools Superintendent Leon Campo said the joint proposal is “historic for our community, not only because, hopefully, the bond will be helping our schools and students, but because the library will also have an opportunity to upgrade and expand.”

Although the school budget plan will not be finalized until the Dec. 8 Board of Education meeting, Bond Committee members presented the community and school trustees with information about the bond proposal at the board’s Nov. 17 meeting.

Patrick Pizzo, assistant to the superintendent for administration and special projects said, “We have to keep in mind that our buildings are well over 60 years old at this point. That means that we desperately need to upgrade several aspects of our schools in order to maintain the safety of our students and staff, and to continue providing a safe and successful learning environment for all.”

Although the roof upgrades are expected to use a little over 50 percent of the bond in the committee’s rough draft, Richard Lagattolla, W.T. Clarke High School’s assistant principal and a Bond Committee member, said athletics would account for 16 percent of the budget. 

“Although athletics would only get a little slice of the budget, it’s still an important slice to have,” Lagattolla said before presenting slides of proposed upgrades to both East Meadow High’s and Clark’s athletic fields. They include a new track and multisport field at Clarke “…because our field is currently one-eighth of a mile, our track teams can’t host home track games, so this addition will allow us to cheer on our track teams at home instead of constantly having away games.”

Lagattolla said that the plan also includes a new multisport field at East Meadow High to accommodate soccer, football and field hockey as well as upgrades of the baseball and softball fields.

The proposal also includes renovations at the Campo Center, the district’s administrative building on The Plain Road, as Bond Committee members look to add another multisport field with new bleachers, a concession stand, bathrooms and storage.

“These aren’t just things we want,” Lagattolla added. “These are upgrades our fields need so our athletes can thrive and play in a safe and well-maintained athletic environment.”

Board of Education President Marcee Rubinstein said that the board planned to discuss each detail at length. “The presentation was very comprehensive,” she said, “and these upgrades are not what we wish for, but it’s what we need. Our infrastructure is 60 years old, and that includes our athletic fields, which are certainly a part of our schools. Our mission is to be as transparent and honest with the community as possible, and we really look forward to hearing feedback from the community once we make the plans [final] in December.”

Pizzo said that the proposed bond total is subject to change until the board’s Dec. 8 meeting. “Once we have the exact figures,” he said, “the community will know the exact plans in preparation for the bond vote in March.”

The East Meadow Public Library has already set up floor plan boards, which it has not done since its last major renovation in 1983.

“This is the first time in over 30 years that the library will ask the community for help in regard to upgrading our library,” the facility’s director, Carol Probeyahn, said. Unlike the school district’s estimated $44.2 million, the library’s proposed $14.6 million is locked in, Probeyahn explained.

The plan details infrastructure upgrades, bathroom and elevator renovations and two large additions: a theater-style community room and a walled-in outdoor seating area. “The library hosts so many programs, and this new theater-style community room will help us accommodate all of the wonderful acts and performers …,” Probeyahn said. “To sort of mimic what the Merrick library has, we’ve planned a walled-in outside seating area.”

The library currently has no outdoor seating. The new plan will also add seating at the front entrance, which will be renovated to make it more welcoming. The parking lot will be repaved, and drivers will be prevented from cutting through the lot to avoid the traffic light at Front Street and East Meadow Avenue.

Upgrades will include the addition of solar-paneled windows to allow more natural light into the building, as well as several new study rooms and a family bathroom “so fathers can change their daughters and mothers can change their sons,” Probeyahn said.

The library will host open houses, and make floor plans and handouts available to the community, on Dec. 5, at 2 p.m., and Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. Both the school district and library bond votes will be held in March.

“This community amazes me because everyone — with the exception of two people — on the library Bond Committee is from East Meadow,” Probeyahn said. “I know the community can pull together and help us improve two important pieces of the community: our schools and our library.”

The Herald will continue to offer details of the bonds as they become available in the coming months.