By NANCY Hiler
"As we all age, we show signs of deterioration, and our schools are no different," Committee Chairman Marc Berkowitz said as he began a PowerPoint presentation. "We have tried to think outside the box, to arrive at suggestions that the board can use, to bring our schools back to where parents will be proud of the building conditions, taking into account rising taxes and taxpayer frustration."
The all-volunteer committee offered a list of priorities for all six buildings to some extent with the oldest building, Newbridge Road School, considered in most need of repair. Numerous short-, mid-, and long-term fixes were suggested.
Short-term issues
To be addressed immediately, from the time that funding is in place and the board commits to earmark funds up until two years, short-term fixes focused primarily on leaking roofs and flooding problems in all schools, which have plagued Newbridge Road School in particular.
Specifics included:
€ Resolve all water infiltration issues, including roofing and masonry.
€ Address health and safety issues, involving aging floor and ceiling tiles, and maintain ongoing vigilance over possible asbestos, lead paint, mold or mildew and air quality concerns.
€ Enhance communication and security with interior and exterior door locks and hardware, rearranging main offices to allow for better "visitor viewing," looking into exterior lighting and burglar alarm systems.
€ Evaluate HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning).
Mid-term issues
To be addressed within three to five years, these included:
€ Take care of handicapped accessibility issues, such as signs, bathrooms, elevators, ramps.
€ Resolve classroom issues, such as class size, additional space, soundproofing.
Long-term
To be addressed within six to 10 years, with a cycle of reevaluations/revisits of ongoing issues, these included:
€ Site work such as parking lots, ball fields, traffic circles in front of schools, fencing, and school beautification.
Recommended funding options
The presentation included a list of possibilities that the committee had discussed and eventually dismissed. These ranged from building a new structure to replace Newbridge Road School, to renovating the six schools while adding a wing to Newbridge, to obtaining Jerusalem Avenue School from the Central High School District. Instead, the committee suggested other courses of action for the board to consider.
First, the committee reiterated two recommendations it made back in February, asking that the board consider using Excel Aid and an Energy Performance Contract "as vehicles for the district to use to begin the repairing of our buildings at little additional taxpayer cost."
Representatives from Johnson Controls presented preliminary elements of an Energy Performance Contract, including energy efficient lighting throughout the district, at last month's board meeting. Contract negotiations continue.
On the other hand, the district has yet to pursue the one-time New York State Excel Aid option, although many districts in Nassau County, including the Bellmore Elementary and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School districts, put up Excel Aid packages for votes during their May budget elections to fund roofing or other capital projects. In North Bellmore, the district would be eligible for about $765,000 in this type of aid at no cost to taxpayers, since funds immediately would be returned to the district's coffers once spent.
Other recommendations
Secondly, the committee made the following specific recommendations:
€ That existing learning spaces be reviewed to better use existing spaces.
€ That every school have its entrance inspected and that changes be performed to allow viewing of guests coming and going from the building.
€ That new procedures be implemented with traffic patterns in and around the schools for better drop-off and pick-up of children, with modifications being made to eliminate congestion.
€ That classrooms currently closed at Newbridge be repaired and be reopened allowing the three classes occupying rooms currently in the basement to be moved to these rooms above ground level. With basement space freed up, the committee said the technology department could be moved down there, which would, in turn, open up needed space at Dinkelmeyer School.
Finally, the committee suggested that in the future it may be time to look into expanding Newbridge Road School to better serve its student population "once the building's water infiltration is resolved with funding from the just passed proposition, and only after it has been determined that problems have been solved."
Price tag?
Around this time last year the Herald reported that the district's then architect H2M Group's Severio Belfiore put a price tag of close to $18 million in 2006 dollars on making repairs to bring the six buildings into satisfactory condition. He considered these "bare-bones costs" related to a facilities condition survey conducted at that time.
In late February of this year, the district hired a new architectural firm, JAG/John A. Grillo Architects, which inspected and evaluated the condition of buildings and grounds throughout the district. No new cost analysis or estimate has been made public.
As far as the committee, the closest it came to alluding to a potential price tag for its recommendations was in the form of two concluding statements about future funding through a possible bond issue.
"When speaking about our schools and problems, one building [Newbridge] stands out," Berkowitz recounted. "However, the board must not forget that every building in the district has needs, and that any bond must have monies earmarked for every school. We need the community to vote as one, not to be split on school building lines."
He went on to say, "Ultimately, the board needs to develop a plan like we have laid out to have money either through a bond or through future budgets to provide for capital improvements so that small problems don't grow into large, unmanageable issues."
The committee also recommended that the committee itself remain intact "as an overseer when needed to review issues as they arise, assisting the board when needed."
Superintendent of Schools Dominic Mucci thanked the committee for its work. Vice President Nina Lanci said the board would review the Facilities Planning Committee's recommendations. "We should have some answers by July," she said.
Comments about this story? nhiler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234.
