By Danny Teigman
The idea of a committee was born after members of the board took a tour of the facilities in November 2004. A follow-up study by architectural firm Wiedersum Associates PLLC of Hauppauge estimated the cost to repair school buildings at $40 million, Lester said, and last winter interested community residents were recruited. Nineteen were found.
Former Assistant Superintendent for Business Frank Fiumano, who oversaw the group before departing for the Baldwin school district and being replaced by Frank Ruggiero, said that the goal of the committee was to evaluate the buildings' structural needs and make a recommendation to the district. "The main thrust of the committee is to evaluate and attach a dollar value for a potential bond issue," Fiumano said.
Members were chosen based on their level of interest and architectural knowledge was not a prerequisite for acceptance, Lester said, adding that the committee would serve the added benefit of increasing transparency into school spending policy. "Rather than having the board decide these expenditures and make their decisions on their own without input from the public, we decided to put a committee together," said Roy Lester, a school board trustee.
Larry Benowitz, a member of the committee who has grandchildren in the school district, said that since the group has yet to formally meet, he was content to wait and see how it all evolves. "I look at these buildings and there's work to be done," he said.
It is likely that the Long Beach model will evolve into a form which resembles similar groups in surrounding school districts.
Island Park School District Superintendent Edward Price said that his district has two "site-based management teams" for its Hegarty Elementary and Lincoln/Orens Middle schools that consist of parents and teachers who are tasked with evaluating the buildings and grounds. In addition, a general-contracting firm inspects the districts' buildings every five years, as required by New York state.
Oceanside School District has a "buildings and grounds committee," a group that has been in existence for 13 years, said founding member and co-chair Bob Transom.
"We have a policy that mandates this committee to be composed of administrators, union representative workers, teachers and people from the community," he said.
The Long Beach group was scheduled to meet on June 27, but a letter sent on June 23 from Superintendent of Schools Robert Greenberg's office noted that there will be a delay until September. The Superintendent's letter cited the need for Ruggiero to become more familiar with his new position.
"The superintendent and I are going to be reviewing the charge that was given to the committee and I'm hopeful the committee can start meeting as soon as it's possible and productive," Ruggiero said.
"I agree with putting it off until September," said Kathi Slattery, a member of the committee and president of the West End Neighbors civic group. "It would be hard to get people together, and it's important for 'the new Frank' to get up to speed."
Transom expressed support for the Long Beach plan but suggested that in order for it to be successful, skilled members were required. "It can't be random," he said. "With any committee of 19 people, people are going to have their own agendas," he said. "They need to have a core leadership that understands construction, facilities management and real estate issues and how they interrelate with classroom comfort and the economics back to the taxpayer."
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