By Anne Marie Allocca
The annual survey of the schools began with Memorial Junior High
School in a tour led by Dr. Marc Bernstein, superintendent of schools, Ron Smith, interim assistant superintendent for finance and operations, and John LaBare, director of
school facilities. Kenneth Cummings, Paul DePace, William Stris, Frank Chiachere, Anthony
Iadevaio, Larry Trogel and Walter Nesbitt were on hand for the walk-through of the four schools, Memorial, North, South and Central.
Bernstein informed the attendees that this year funding for the projects
came from three different sources, including Excel Aid, which was approved in the state budget on April 1, 2006, with each district being appropriated a certain amount of money to be spent no later than the 2007-08 school year. LaBare, Smith, the school attorney and an architect consulted about what items should be addressed with Excel Aid
funds. The VSCHSD received $1.46 million, with $255,000 already being used
this year on projects.
Last May, voters approved the creation of a capital reserve fund, which
currently has $2.7 million available for use. Before any money can be
expended the board must approve its use.
"Each year, there are different needs for each school so don't look for
dollar equity," Bernstein told the board. "It's based upon the needs of the
building."
He urged members to closely look at the Auto Shop at Central High
School, which was built on the Valley Stream stream and has suffered from
significant wall movement and settlement. The building would need $475,000
in improvements, but Bernstein proposed a few other options
to the board, including demolishing the building at a cost of $300,000, spending $200,000 to
make the building into a storage facility or do nothing. About 40 students in 11th and 12th grades make use of the facility to learn the automotive trade. The students could go to BOCES for the program at an annual cost to the district of $130,000.
The maintenance building at Memorial also has not been addressed in a long
time, officials said. The roof, which is 30 years old, and the chimney need to be replaced, and the exterior walls are cracking. Inside the building a fire alarm system needs to be installed in the garage and an underground oil tank needs to be replaced with an above-ground unit, at a repair cost of $116,000, school officials said.
Bernstein began his tour in the library of Memorial with Frank Morisco,
district director of administrative and instructional technology. Morisco
spoke about technology spending and unveiled six-pack and 15-pack
rolling carts which hold notebooks and can be rolled to the classrooms as
needed. He also showed a cluster of computers which were part of the media
center installed in 2000. Since then, 5,000 students have used them in the
last seven years. "Can you imagine having your home computer for that long?"
Morisco asked the parents.
In addition to the capital facilities plan for each school, the principals
put in their own requests for items. At Memorial the Excel items totaled
$393,106, to install a fire alarm system in the basement; to repoint chimneys,
replace asbestos floor tiles, repair Lintel building wide, upgrade the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system and replace ceilings as required. Other
improvements include replacing the power distribution panels, emergency
generator and installing air conditioning in the cafeteria's A & B, for a total
cost of $669.740. Dr. Kathleen Walsh, Memorial's principal, asked for a list of items, including a scoreboard for the athletic field, screen frames and screen widows, the replacement of student lab desks and the inner glass doors at the west exits, for a total cost of $46,500.
At North High School, Principal Cliff Odell took the group on a tour of the grounds,
proudly showing the newly paved driveway and drop-off area. On his wish list
is the renovation of the social studies office to create work stations, the creation of two
offices in the existing social worker's office, the installation of an additional
long jump track and sand pit, the replacement of the doors outside the wrestling room
and construction of a fence from the bleachers to a 15-foot fence with walkways ‹ all
for a cost of $35, 316. Bernstein noted the chimneys at North needed
repointing; asbestos floor tiles and roof duct insulation needed to be replaced, the HVAC system upgraded and ceilings replaced, all under the Excel Aid cost
of $270,488. Replacement of a hot water heater; power distribution panels
and lead abatement of the former rifle range and conversion to a storage
area will cost $46,340. "The asbestos tiles are not dangerous, but we need
to replace the old tile floors so there is no future danger. We continue to
be in front of it," Bernstein noted.
Dr. Stephen Lando, the principal at South High School, asked board members
to consider his requests for new wrestling mats, an upgrade of the project
adventure elements, installation of a doorway between two classrooms, countertops
in the LOTE office and the science and office work stations, a creation of a
reception area in the main office, replacement of the outdoor scoreboard and
the football/baseball scoreboard, all at a cost of $44,300. The capital projects
using $287,340 of the Excel Aid would be to repoint the chimneys, remove and
replace floor tiles, replace the damaged cement sidewalk on the Jedwood side
of the building, upgrade the HVAC DDC controls and the condensation unit,
replace the roof duct insulation and ceilings as needed. Officials said $17,700
would also be required for electrical work.
After visiting the auto shop at Central High School, Bernstein showed the
10 planters that line the school which are in dire need of replacement, at a
cost of $15,000. He also asked for a renovation of the social studies office
for $5,500 and creation of a computer lab in room 205 at a cost of $8,000. The
Excel Aid items include upgrading the DDC controls of the HVAC system,
replacing floor tiles, replacing cracked sidewalk in the gym area and
replacing ceilings, for a total cost of $251.066. The biggest expenditure for
Central is the new air-conditioning system in the auditorium at a cost of
$1.3 million. An additional $373,000 would be spent on replacing the tennis
courts and the old power distribution panels, repaving the entire driveway and
surveying costs to monitor the floor slab in the auditorium.
Dr. Joseph Pompilio asked that the social studies office be updated with
decent shelves, not warehouse shelves and workstations, so the teachers could
send and receive information. Bernstein added, "We want the departmental
offices to become attractive, inviting offices so teachers collaborate their
work on behalf of our kids."
Lastly, the group toured the maintenance equipment including a dump truck
from 1988 that was covered with rust. The cost for a new one is $91,000. The snow
removal machines, which are also used for grounds clean up, are 20 years
old. Although all are operating, they would like to replace two this year and
two the next year, all the way down the line.
After presenting the capital projects, Bernstein told those in attendance
the next board meeting on Feb. 6 is strictly budget-related with the
proposal to the board coming in March.
