By Andrew Coen
Despite his desire to see a new middle school built, Omotani and his District 14 staff have proposed a scaled-down renovation and repair plan to put before voters in a December referendum. District officials outlined their $24.9 million plan for the middle school and other district buildings at the Oct. 11 school board work session. At Wednesday's school board meeting, after press time, trustees were scheduled to vote on whether to put the proposal before voters on Dec. 12.
While the referendum would include elements from the five-year facilities plan prepared by the architectural firm Kayer, Garnet & Davidson, 90 percent of the funding would be earmarked for Woodmere Middle School, which was built in the early 1960s. This would be Hewlett-Woodmere's fourth attempt to improve the middle school, after District 14 voters shot down referendums for a new facility in 2000 and twice in 2002, the last failing by just 27 votes.
"I'm nothing but a realist," Omotani said during the Oct. 11 meeting about the plan developed by members of his staff, which, they feel, has the best chance of passing. "It's time for us to move forward."
Dr. Peter Weber, the district's assistant superintendent for business, said the plan would encompass the replacement or repair of critical elements of the middle school as well as improved classrooms and instructional space. It would include the replacement of the roof, windows, the building facade and the heating and ventilation system. There would also be a new main entryway designed to enhance the convenience and safety of motorists and pedestrians entering school grounds, according to Weber.
Additions to the facility would include a new 8,000- to 8,500-square-foot gymnasium and a new synthetic FieldTurf surface for the athletic field, similar to the one added at Hewlett High School in 2003. Ceilings and light fixtures would be repaired, and the music suite would be renovated. The old shops on the west side of the building would be redesigned as art and technology classrooms.
Unlike other school renovation and repair projects, this one would not require portable classrooms to temporarily house students during construction. According to Weber, such facilities are expensive to maintain because they must meet all codes for a new building. Weber said the district would be able to launch construction of the new gymnasium next summer, and once the facility was finished, around the spring of 2008, workers could convert the 6,500 square feet of space in the old gym into temporary classrooms. According to Weber, utilizing the gym for temporary classrooms would be more cost-effective than installing portable buildings.
When construction was completed - in about three years - the old gym would be renovated to support instructional needs. Weber said that district officials hope to complete much of the construction work during the summer of 2007, when there would be little disruption of students.
More than 30 District 14 residents attended a public forum on the referendum at the Woodmere Middle School auditorium on Monday night, and voiced a variety of opinions, ranging from full support for the plan to a desire to see an all-new middle school to staunch opposition. "We're at emergency proportions to have something done," said parent Laurie Rubin of the need to make improvements to the middle school.
"I would have loved to have seen a new middle school, but this proposal is great," said parent Cheryl May.
Citizens Committee of Hewlett-Woodmere President Corinne Boni, who has previously criticized proposals for a new school, said at the forum that she also opposes the renovation and repair plan. "I am adamantly opposed to it," said Boni.
Paul Wallerstein said he also saw no need to renovate the current building. "I think what you're proposing is an absolute waste of money," he said.
PTA leaders, who have lobbied hard over the years for a new middle school, support the scaled-down referendum because it has a better chance of gaining voters' approval. "I think this is on the border of ingenious, the way Peter Weber constructed this," said Michelle Maiorano, co-president of the Hewlett-Woodmere Central Council PTA. "It's fiscally responsible and meets the needs of the students and community. It's a win-win situation."
Some of the improvements that would be undertaken at the other district buildings include roof replacement at Ogden Elementary School, renovation of the Franklin Early Childhood Center cafeteria, an upgrade of the Hewlett Elementary School auditorium, repairs to the Hewlett High School tennis courts and improvements at the community pool on high school property. According to Weber, the projects planned for district buildings represent only a fraction of the district's capital needs.
The administration's proposal follows an aggressive outreach by district officials to determine what the community would like to see done with the middle school. The effort included a Web site devoted to the subject as well as a student-directed mini-Web site at the school. The district also gathered community input via an online questionnaire.
Weber said that although the referendum totals $24.9 million, the ability to significantly reduce the allocation for repairs in the general fund, combined with the scheduled retirement of debt from the 1992 bond to renovate Hewlett Elementary School in 2008, and state building aid, means taxpayers most likely would not shoulder the financial burden. Weber estimated that the referendum might cost each homeowner as little as $1, given the district's ability to support the project's debt payments.
If Hewlett-Woodmere voters again reject a bond to improve the middle school, district officials said they are prepared to recommend the necessary expenditures each year to address the building's major issues. "The issues related to the existing building just continue to increase," Weber said.
He explained that a study of the questionnaires revealed that residents were more likely to vote for a repair and renovation proposal than the construction of a new middle school, whose cost has been estimated at $62 million and could jump to as much as $70 million in a few years. Weber cautioned that the referendum would not address the school's every need, such as floors and staircases, but that the most vital upgrades would be covered.
"We're very optimistic that we've been able to find a middle ground," Weber said.
