District 24: We have space

District 24 officials say they have room in the three elementary schools to handle a modest influx of students from two multi-family housing developments currently under construction.

After two residents expressed concerns to village officials at the March 18 board meeting that these developments would strain space-starved schools, the issue came up again two days later at the District 24 Board of Education meeting. However, board members did not share the concerns.

“We’ve been planning for this right from the start,” said Board of Education President Tony Iadevaio, referring both to the 90-unit Hawthorne Court on Cottage Street and the 72-unit Sun Valley Towers on Brooklyn Avenue.

Iadevaio said that if there is an influx of students, the district has options. It could either adjust the boundaries for each school, or move the district offices out of the William L. Buck School to free up space.

He actually expressed optimism for Sun Valley. Iadevaio said that with 195 Rockaway Ave. coming off the tax rolls after the village acquired it to serve as a law enforcement annex, the addition of Sun Valley should offset that loss.

Rumors about one or both of the developments being used for Section 8 housing also came up. Iadevaio said he only believes that would be a concern with Hawthorne Court, which has not only changed ownership, but was switched from condominiums to apartments. He noted that the development, which has been under construction for more than five years, has yet to prove viable.

Village trustee Vincent Grasso, who attended the meeting, said that the developers of the two complexes have invested a lot of money in their respective buildings, and want a return on their investment. Low-income housing, he explained, likely wouldn’t accomplish that goal. “I’m not sure that would be economically feasible for the developers,” Grasso said of Section 8 housing. “I don’t think it’s worthwhile.”

He pointed out some of the amenities planned for Sun Valley, including the use of solar panels to power parts of the building, and wondered why residents thinks the apartments there will be for low-income families. Grasso said that while residents have a right to be concerned about the future of the village, there are a lot of rumors going around that are being treated as fact.