Benefits could accompany HALB purchase of the Number Six School

Should the sale of the Number Six School in Woodmere pass the March 31 public referendum, the families with children who will be attending the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach at the Church Avenue building will realize a convenience boon.
Student commuting time will be cut from a road trip of about 90 minutes to just a few as more than 90 percent of its 800-student enrollment lives in the Five Towns. “It’s a tremendous time benefit,” said Woodmere resident Dov Seewald, 42, a tax attorney who lives two blocks from the school with his wife, Margo, and three sons, two of which could be attending the school. “It will also be an opportunity for parents to be more involved,” Seewald added. “That is the general sentiment in talking to others.”
Seewald has lived in Woodmere for 16 years, the past 13 in the home on Church Avenue. Margo grew up on Arbuckle Avenue in Woodmere. Both have lived there when the Number Six School was open. It closed in March 2009. “It was comforting in addition to [our children] being in the community that [the building] could be a school,” he said, regarding his reaction when he learned HALB could be buying the building.
The approximately 6.67-acre site includes the 80,170-square-foot building, an open ball field, basketball hoops, two walls for handball and a playground.
Brian Sigman can see the school from his backyard. He said when he moved in 11 years ago he and wife, Bailey, had a “nice view, now it’s falling apart and looks terrible.” Sigman 36, who works in finance, has four children attending HALB. Should the purchase go through and HALB sticks to its timetable of two years to get into the building, two of his kids would attend the Woodmere school. “I think the community benefits from those living near the school and now someone will be there to take care of the building.”

Lawrence School District residents overwhelmingly defeated the referendum last year, when Simone Development Companies was planning to buy the site and lease the property to Mt. Sinai Hospital for a 60-doctor, 30-specialty medical facility.
“I was happy that it could be school than a commercial property, I was nervous with that medical center we would have to move and property values would go down,” Sigman said.
Seewald and Sigman, like several other residents, including the Community Coalition of the Five Towns opposed the Simone proposal, based on the potential for increased traffic volume in an already congested area and preservation of the recreational space.
Woodmere resident Michael Turi remains concerned about the traffic volume and would like to see a study be conducted. “I am very concerned about pedestrian safety as a result of a confluence of schools and religious institutions on Peninsula Boulevard,” said Turi, who also thinks this is a good time to address flood mitigation in an area hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, including the Number Six School. “We need to assess and ensure a safe environment for students and those walking to temple.”
Sigman and Seewald said a traffic study would be useful. Having the ball fields is also important, according to Seewald, who calls on HALB to do right by the community. “The school is used by the kids in the community and that was going to go away,” he said, referring to the defeated Simone plan. “HALB has to be sensitive to the community’s needs. They will be and should be.”

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