By NANCY HILER
The need for volunteers is dire, as all of North Bellmore's schools need repairs and the district is facing $18 million in renovation work. Mucci called for more residents to join the committee, including any parents of young children attending school in the aging buildings and anyone with construction-related knowledge. Mucci made the request both at the committee's first meeting, held the evening of July 12, and at the July 6 Board of Education meeting.
Mucci's most recent appeals follow one he made in early May. At the time, he said, "What is most important is that the volunteers have the time, interest and desire to assist the Board of Education in developing recommendations for the good of all children in the school district."
The magnitude of the committee's mission and the need for community involvement in its meetings became clearer at the June Board of Education meeting, when an engineer's building condition presentation showed that all district-owned buildings were in serious disrepair.
Mucci wants the committee to offer honest input and not be driven by the district administration's perspectives. He is seeking "a wide spectrum of opinions and viewpoints" and would like another 10 to 12 members to serve.
Only about one-third of the 25 people attending the first Facilities Planning Committee meeting were community members, and four of the six schools in the district did not have any parent representation -- Dinkelmeyer, Gunther, Park Avenue and Saw Mill Road.
Participants at the meeting included district administrators, principals and teachers. Board of Education trustees and representatives of the H2M Group, the engineering firm that the district hired to conduct the building-condition study, also attended.
"It's vital that residents participate in the process," said Board of Education Trustee Rosemarie Corless. "It would be unfortunate if ideas were offered or questions were asked after the fact instead of constructively, well before the committee comes to any conclusions and makes its recommendations."
During the committee meeting, the school district's director of facilities, Chris Milano, described North Bellmore's facilities and grounds. He said the district's six schools and the North Bellmore Public Library encompass 61 acres and 344,000 square feet of space. After that, architect Saverio Belfiore discussed the building study in detail, and provided everyone with a 200-plus-page report describing the condition of 96 system categories for the seven structures. The report will serve as a springboard for the committee's future discussions. Additional information will be provided to the committee members, including facilities¹ usage and space needs, demographics and other data.
The committee is charged with reviewing individual building issues, infrastructure and improvement needs. It is up to the committee to consider various options and explore their viability. These could be anything from how to go about replacing fixtures and making repairs to possibly consolidating students into fewer buildings. The goal is for the group to reach a consensus and make both short- and long-term recommendations to the Board of Education by next Jan. 1.
A committee meeting was scheduled for July 26, after press time. The next one is scheduled for Aug. 15. Local residents interested in serving should contact Superintendent Mucci as soon as possible at (516) 992-3200, dmucci@northbellmoreschools.org or by mail at North Bellmore UFSD, 2616 Martin Ave., North Bellmore, N.Y. 11710.
Comments about this story? NHiler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234.
