By:Jennifer Marino
Discussions of what to include in the bond issue took place throughout the summer, with the Board of Education settling on a list of projects totaling $15,170,732. The district architect, the board and the administration started with a list that ran as high as $24 million and narrowed it down, keeping in mind the priorities of health, safety and repair.
This is the best way to fund [capital projects] and minimize the impact on the budget, said Assistant Superintendent Robert Bartels. Superintendent Dr. William Johnson said that the projects have to be done, and the choice is how they will be funded.
School officials say that the expected tax increase will be gradual, starting in the 2006-07 school year at less than $20 for a home valued at $500,000, the average price of a home in the village. The full impact on the average tax bill will be $140, or $3 per $100 of assessed valuation, in the 2009-10 school year, officials said.
We are anticipating our inability to repair, said Board of Education Trustee Meg Koch. The heating system at South Side Middle School is the No. 1 priority. If the bond is passed, the district hopes to start work on that and other projects next summer.
Those projects include:
South Side Middle School upgrades to the heating and ventilating systems, and replacement of windows, bathroom fixtures and the auditorium curtains and stage floor.
South Side High School updating of the electrical system, repairs to auditorium air conditioning, fire alarm upgrades, bathroom renovations and window replacement.
Wilson School bathroom renovations, replacement of windows, repair of the gymnasium roof, ventilation repairs in the portable units, auditorium and gymnasium, and masonry work.
Hewitt School new water heater, fire alarm repairs, new windows, pavement and exterior steps, resurfacing of tennis courts and roof shingle replacement.
Riverside repair of classroom walls and roof, replacement of playground swings and playground surfacing, masonry repainting and reconstruction.
Watson bathroom renovation, stage lighting replacement, asphalt resurfacing and repair of the gymnasium roof.
Covert School security lighting, bathroom renovations, gymnasium floor refinishing, driveway restoration and installation of a drywell.
After Board of Education members toured the schools over the summer, it was decided that the bond issue would also include new lighting in almost all the schools. This change was proposed when the board noticed a dramatic difference in classrooms that had already replaced their lighting.
The last bond issue, totaling $14,915,407, was passed in 1996.
Comments about this story? JMarino@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 221
