By Andrew Coen
The class was in the middle of a science experiment when storm water from the aging roof, as a result of heavy rainfall, leaked into one of the student's beakers and ruined the results.
The next day, soon after Omotani told this story to the public who attended the Oct. 18 Hewlett-Woodmere school board meeting, the trustees unanimously agreed to put before voters on Dec. 12 a $24.9 million referendum to make significant improvements to the middle school including the replacement of the aging roof.
The proposal is scaled down from the district's desire to see a new middle school facility built at an estimated cost of more than $62 million, but it is a plan that Omotani feels will address the most urgent needs of the building and have the best chance of passing a public vote. It will be the district's fourth attempt at improving the middle school after voters defeated referendums that would have okayed construction of a new structure in 2000 and twice in 2002, with the latest proposal failing by 27 votes.
"It's just time to do something about the middle school," said Omotani at the meeting. "[A new middle school] would be nice but it's just not a realistic proposition at this point and we have to move on."
While the referendum would include elements from the five-year facilities plan for the entire district, prepared by the architectural firm Kayer, Garnet & Davidson, 90 percent of the funding would be earmarked for Woodmere Middle School. The plan would include 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 Dr. Peter Weber, the district's assistant superintendent for business.
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.
In contrast to 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 is 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 is 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 to students.
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 the high school property. According to Weber, the projects planned for district buildings represent only a fraction of the district's capital needs.
Weber said that although the referendum totals $24.9 million, the ability to significantly reduce the allocation for repairs in the general fund as a result of a five-year facilities plan 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.
A public tour of the middle school building is scheduled for Dec. 5 to show residents the need for the planned renovations, according to district officials. Voting on the Dec. 12 referendum will take place from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Woodmere Education Center, 1 Johnson Place.
Comments about this story? Acoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
