Vacant Seaford school is coming down

The long-awaited demolition of the Seaford Avenue School began last week. Heavy machinery started tearing down the graffiti-covered one-story section in the back, which once housed the cafeteria and kitchen.

It is expected to take about a month to completely demolish the 1938 building and clear the debris. A construction manager on site said the concrete, brick and steel building is “like a fortress.” The school closed in 1981, and was then rented to Five Towns College and later to BOCES. It had sat vacant since 2010, and became a constant target of vandals.

Demolition is being done by the Gramercy Group, of Wantagh, which has done projects large and small, including taking down the old Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.

The Engel Burman Group purchased the site for $5.14 million, and will build 112 senior housing units as well as a clubhouse. Construction of several buildings is already under way on the back half of the property, which was the school’s fields.

“The buildings are pretty big, bigger than I expected,” said Mike Tito, who lives behind the property.

Tito said that while he would have preferred about 10 to 20 fewer units, the complex will be an improvement over the vacant school, which was visible from his house and was an eyesore.

He said that the developer has been good about notifying residents about the different stages of construction, including the demolition of the school. “I don’t really have any complaints,” he said. “Hopefully they’re done by the spring and we’ll see what it looks like.”

Rosemary King taught fourth grade there from 1968 to 1970, before leaving to have children. Although her tenure was short, it was memorable. “Loved it,” she said. “I liked the involvement of the community within the school. The parents were very involved.”

King, who lives in Seaford, said she still runs into former students around town. She added that while she is sad to see the building come down, it bothered her more seeing it in a derelict state. “It’s too bad that they couldn’t have refurbished it and used it for a school,” she said, “but I’m glad the property is going to give back taxes to the district.”

At last week’s Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Brian Conboy gave his first quarterly report on the status of the proceeds from the sale. Subtracting broker fees and adding interest earned since the September closing, the district has $4.93 million in a separate reserve account.