By Andrew Coen
The Lawrence school board unanimously approved the $27.5 million contract at the June 6 school board meeting and will decide at the June 20 board meeting on a date for a public vote, which is required under state law whenever school property is sold.
On the day the referendum is held to approve the sale of the property, the public will also vote on a separate proposition that would allow the school board to earmark the $27.5 million for a capital reserve fund to address the many building repairs needed throughout the district. A proposition on the May 16 ballot to establish a capital reserve fund with the proceeds from the Number One School property was defeated by 947 votes, 4,316 to 3,369. The proposed school budget was also overwhelmingly defeated that day, forcing the district to face austerity for a fourth year in a row.
If residents approve the sale of the property housing the former elementary school, which was closed in June 2004 as part of a consolidation plan to save the district money, Neuberg Development LLC, owned by Lawrence resident David Neuberg, would receive the go-ahead to construct luxury condominium units. According to district officials, the $27.5 million offer was the highest they received to develop the 3.79-acre property.
An appraisal conducted last year determined the land was worth roughly $15 million. Neuberg signed the deal during a Lawrence village moratorium on projects requiring high water usage, which has been in place since September, but school board president Frank Parise indicated that Neuberg is willing to work with the village to help resolve the issue. Lawrence village officials are in the process of trying to determine how best to increase the capacity of the village's water pollution control plant in order to lift the moratorium. Neuberg could not be reached for comment.
Prior to the school board's approval of the contract, trustee Stanley Kopilow attempted to modify the resolution by adding that the $27.5 million be earmarked for repairs to the district's buildings rather than have two separate referendums. The remaining school board members expressed concern that if they include the capital reserve fund proposition on the same referendum, it would put the sale of the property in jeopardy. But Kopilow said that most District 15 voters would fully support the $27.5 million being used to fix the district's facilities that, according to a recent survey of the buildings' condition, need a vast array of repairs.
"It seems to me there is only one place the money can rationally be used," said Kopilow. "It seems absolutely foolish to sell a building on a valuable piece of property without telling [the residents] how we intend to spend the money."
Parise said keeping the referendums separate would increase the chances of approving the sale to Neuberg by allowing residents to simply vote "yes" on the deal and then giving them the choice on the second proposition -- whether they want the proceeds of the sale spent on building repairs. "I believe in giving the residents a choice," said Parise in a phone interview. "This way they have a clear understanding of what they are voting on and hopefully the community will approve it."
Comments on this story? acoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
