PHOTO: Ribbon Cutting At Phillips Avenue Elementary School

The next phase in the Riverhead School District's ongoing school bond plan was celebrated Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of a newly renovated and expanded library and computer center at the Phillips Avenue Elementary School.

The public voted in 2011 to approve a $78.3 million capital improvements bond that will upgrade infrastructure at all the buildings in the Riverhead Central School District.

The Phillips Avenue Elementary school project is the first phase of the school bond plan to be ready for student use. 

Attendees at the ceremony included Riverhead Board of Education members, Superintendent Nancy Carney, representatives from Triton Construction, Phillips Avenue Principal Debra Rodgers, and the first group of students who visited the new library on opening day.

Right after the ribbon cutting, students headed to the new library, which more than doubled in space, contains distinct learning areas, with raised seating for story time, an area for tables to work on projects, and SmartBoards at each end for teacher use.

"I love the new library. It looks great," student Amaya Hopkins.

“This day has been a long time coming, but the wait has been well worth it. We are excited that our students will be able to learn research and writing skills in a 21st century environment,” Carney said. “This is a wonderful day for Riverhead, and I can’t wait for the work to progress on our other buildings in the near future.”