By: Karenlyn Barone
Last year's bond proposal was the result of year-long research done by the members of the Board of Education and the superintendent, coupled with the recommendations of an architect. This year the district assembled a Citizens Advisory Committee made up of residents who worked together for six weeks, toured each of the school buildings, met with an architect and made their recommendations to the board at a meeting on Dec. 9.
The board had no input in the study, and its members looked at the report for the first time, along with residents, at the meeting. Board members will now review the findings and recommendations of the committee and decide whether to formally present the bond to the community sometime early next year.
The $28 million bond proposed a year ago was aimed at reducing class sizes at the elementary level, separating the younger and older students at the junior/senior high school and making overall improvements and necessary repairs to the district's three buildings. It included the construction of a 40,000-square-foot structure to be added to the existing high school building, the creation of a middle school, and allowing the sixth-grade students at both the Rhame Avenue and Centre Avenue elementary schools to move to that new building. This would have created more instructional space at the elementary schools. But random phone interviews with residents after the presentation revealed to the board that they were not in favor of the proposal, and it was abandoned.
This year's proposal, titled "Preparing to Meet the District's Facilities Needs for the 21st Century," includes what the committee calls "desperately needed infrastructure." Centre Avenue Elementary School, built in 1926, would benefit from ceiling replacement throughout the building, exterior/interior door replacement, corridor bathroom replacement and asbestos tile removal. Renovations or new construction would include making the school and its bathrooms handicapped-accessible, enclosing an existing balcony to make room for two small instructional spaces, and the addition of a 3,600-square-foot library/media center and computer lab.
An asphalt topcoat for the parking lot and an additional 15 parking spaces would result from the relocation of fencing, basketball courts and playground equipment. The total allocated for the Centre Avenue project is $4,465,375, which includes $3,784,216 for construction and $681,159 for contingency items, which are legal, bond and architectural fees.
The committee found that the Rhame Avenue Elementary School, built in 1990 after being destroyed by a 1986 fire, "has some critical needs to be met." The most expensive one is a total roof replacement. The rubberized flat roof is beyond its 12-year warranty, and is shrinking. The committee also recommended a new fuel oil tank, exterior door replacement, an additional 25 parking spaces along the property line and a major kitchen renovation that would make the space a full working kitchen where food for both elementary schools would be prepared. The high school kitchen currently services the entire district. The total for construction would be $1,105,000, with contingency costs estimated at $198,900, for a total of $1,303,900.
The junior/senior high school building was completed in 1936, and has been extended to meet the needs of the district several times over the decades. In its report, the committee recommended that a two-story addition, which would add four classrooms and a science room/lab, be considered. It also called for the relocation of the art room, the tech/music lab and the existing science room/lab. Should the bond be approved, the existing technology building would also be slated for additional instructional space and locker facilities.
The committee's proposal also calls for replacement of the main gymnasium window wall, the replacement of interior bleachers, corridor locker replacement and an overhaul of the athletic field, including a natural-sod track, new perimeter fencing, backstops, new goal posts and the renovation of the existing press box/snack bar. It also considered bulkhead reconstruction along the north and east end of the bank of the Mill River, which runs along the back of the school's property.
The committee's recommendations also include corridor bathroom replacement, replacement of the fire alarm system, parking lot construction, locker room reconstruction, roof replacement, door replacement, and boiler modifications. The estimated construction cost would be $12,622,680 with contingency items at $2,272,082, for a total of $14,894,762.
District Business Director Angela Eisert explained to the board and the residents that the $21 million bond would mean that the average home in East Rockaway, with an assessed value of $3,000, would see a tax increase of $56.43, starting in 2007, and a further increase of $170.82 in 2008. Eisert was quick to point out that if the bond is rejected, the cost to address the necessary infrastructure items, $1.5 million, would be added to the district's budget and mean additional taxes of $310.20 in 2007 and $301.28 the following year.
A clear incentive for approving the bond is that New York state will fund 48 percent of the projects. "We're taking advantage of a state project that funds building projects that other districts have already taken advantage of," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Arnold Dodge. "The state becomes your benefactor. They have a large pool of money that they use to encourage districts to take care of their physical infrastructure of the state schools. They essentially defray costs to the districts."
The residents responded with questions from the floor, and more than one person questioned the financial logic of floating such a lofty bond. "I understand we need the improvements, and I like the idea of many of the committee's recommendations, but I'm afraid at some point I will be taxed out of my home," said one resident who did not want to be identified.
Perhaps the toughest question came from School Board President Mary Boccuzzi. Addressing committee chairman Dr. Richard Meagher, she asked, "How can I justify this to my mother, who is on a fixed income?"
Meagher, an alumnus of East Rockaway whose four children graduated from district schools said, "You tell her it's for generations to come. You explain that education is the most important thing we give our children, and she is investing in future generations."
Resident Nick Palmiotto took exception to the projected cost of the bond. "You are showing me how much the bond will add to my taxes, but if you are adding classrooms, then you will add teachers. You are not showing us the additional operational costs."
In fact, the bond translates to less cost to taxpayers, according to Dodge. "Interest rates are at an historic low, construction costs are rising, there is a lock on state aid and state aid structures favors a bond over the budget," he said. "Bonding now makes good financial sense."
Committee member Diana Craig Patch reminded the audience, "For quality education you need good programs, good teachers, concerned parents and a good physical environment. We have three - we do not have the fourth."
Patty Nicolletti, a member of the advisory committee, summed up by saying, "Our most valuable asset is our children, and that is the heart of this bond issue."
As promised, there will be several general meetings regarding the bond issue. The first two have been scheduled for Jan. 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the Centre Avenue Elementary School, and Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m., at Rhame Avenue Elementary School. On Jan. 15, the community is invited to tour the schools, starting with the high school, at 9 a.m.
Comments about this story? KBarone@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
