School Board Hears Bond Committee Proposal; $78.4 Million Bond Suggested

The Riverhead school board heard the final recommendations from a to propose what the Riverhead Central School District should offer in the future for a bond to update and improve existing facilities.

The price tag came in at $78.4 million.

Superintendent Nancy Carney said the committee – titled the Community Partnership for Revitalization – decided from the start that "the previous bond was too much, and if there was any hope of getting a new bond passed, trust has to be established between the district and community. The scope was scaled down, with a focus on health and safety issues and preservation of buildings."

In February, 2010, voters rejected a $122.9 million bond by a nearly two-to-one margin.

While the proposal eliminates all usage of modular classrooms in the school district, improves cafeteria services in most schools and “brought the classrooms into the 21st century,” at least one Board of Education member thought the proposal was "sorely lacking" in the athletic upgrades presented.

"With the exception of moving the weight room, you made room here for more children everywhere except for athletics," said board member Tim Griffing. "I'm very disappointed ... this plan includes increases in space everywhere else. I don't know where you put the extra kids when you keep that portion of the facility the same."

Carney assuaged Griffing's concerns by saying that the board will hold more work sessions to publicly discuss where the bond proposal needs to be tweaked.

She also said, "It was very difficult cutting across the board and getting from $123 million to where we're at now. There are still people on the committee who feel the number should be lower."

Carney tentatively set a June 7 date for a future discussion on the CPR findings.

The proposal suggested most of its upgrades – Carney mentioned in a previous interview "more than half" – to the three schools one of which all RCSD students will attend if they go through the system: Pulaski Street School and the Middle and High Schools. Price breakdowns were not given for all  the structures in the plan – which also included the four elementary schools in the district.

"We tried to maximize the use of assets in the district, and minimize new construction," said Kevin Walsh, project designer with BBS Architecture, which drew up the designs presented to the board.

Carney said that for homeowners of a median-priced home in Riverhead – with an assessed value of $276,588 – additional taxes coming from the $78.4 million bond would start at roughly $39.47 in 2014 million and peak at $210.48 million in 2018. 

Some of the major upgrades listed included full roof renovations and window replacements at the middle and high schools; improved traffic loops at the high school, middle school, and Riley Avenue School; a partial roof replacement at Pulaski Street School; and kitchen upgrades at all elementary schools.