Thursday, October 1, 2026
Locust Valley Central School District students returned to a transformed high school and middle school campus this month, after workers completed three major infrastructure projects over the summer, including a new parking lot, renovations to the cafeteria and conversion of the library into a research center.
The district also made improvements to classrooms, courtyards, technology facilities and school security. Most of the work was completed before the start of the school year, although some finishing touches remain.
Superintendent Kristen Turnow said the district was able to complete additional projects after coming in under budget. The cafeteria and library had a budget of $7.3 million while the parking lot’s budget was $3.5 million. According to Turnow, the two projects managed to finish roughly $220 thousand under budget.
“The main entrance was originally not budgeted for,” Turnow said. “We didn’t think we would get to it, but we’re so under budget that this was all redone too.”
The savings allowed the district to advance projects that had been planned for next year.
Director of Facilities Erik Nakutavicious said the parking lot had been under discussion for years, and was originally planned for the 2024-25 school year. After the initial bids came in higher than expected, the district revised the plans and pushed construction to this summer. Because the cafeteria and library projects were already scheduled, the district faced a compressed construction schedule.
“Once we had all three projects … on the docket, there was definitely a little bit of ‘oh boy,’ you know,” Nakutavicious said. “It was basically doing six months’ worth of work in eight weeks.”
Some work began before the summer to keep the projects on schedule. A three-week asbestos abatement in the library began May 21 instead of July 1, while work on the parking lot began in May because two new lots required major drainage improvements. The cafeteria was prioritized because students needed the space for lunch, but the district sought to complete the cafeteria and library at the same time.
The renovated cafeteria features new lighting, doors and serving areas, along with flexible seating that allows students to sit individually or in groups. Turnow said that students immediately noticed the changes when they returned.
“I was in here as soon as they all came in,” she said. “They were like, ‘Whoa! It looks like a different place. Where are we?’”
The library now has new windows and heating, laptop tables, flexible seating, acoustic materials and study rooms. A larger multipurpose room can accommodate nearly 70 people, depending on its configuration, and may be used for classes, presentations, Model United Nations, mock trials and other activities.
Turnow added that the goal was to provide students with spaces to work together and develop presentation skills. “So our whole thing was so that they could collaborate, practice presentations,” she said. “Really that Profile of a Graduate,” referring to the district’s expectations for students once they’ve completed their years at Locust Valley.
The district also created a financial lab on the campus to support business and financial literacy instruction. The space will be used for business classes and presentations by students involved in the Virtual Enterprise program.
Other improvements included renovated art and robotics rooms, a new gallery for student artwork, upgraded technology facilities and additional fireproof doors and windows as part of broader security improvements.
The campus also gained additional courtyards, gardens and a greenhouse. Turnow said the spaces include fruit trees and vegetables used by students.
Technology and media operations were incorporated into the district’s broader improvements. Sandrina Rodrigues, the district’s media specialist from Ark Technology, discussed efforts to have students produce and share videos from school events while developing communications and journalism skills.
The parking lot redesign was intended to improve traffic flow and safety during arrival and dismissal. The old configuration, Turnow explained, created congestion because visitor parking, buses and cars shared the same area.
“Basically, along that curve was all visitor parking,” she said. “They were hitting the buses. Chaos is an understatement. It was absolute chaos.”
The new layout has separate routes for buses and parents at different parts of the school day, and creates additional parking capacity.
The compressed schedule created challenges, including construction cleanup and delays involving materials. Nakutavicious said that some items remain on back order, while others arrived damaged or didn’t meet specifications.
“It was definitely a challenge the last couple of days,” he said on Thursday. “It makes a mess doing construction work.”
At its Wednesday meeting, the Board of Education praised the facilities department, construction manager and architects. The board also agreed to lower several speed bumps in the new parking lot after some vehicles scraped their undercarriages, although the bumps had been built to state Department of Transportation specifications.
