Roslyn School Board eyes $370K in additional capital projects

Max Zahn

The Roslyn Board of Education indicated on Thursday that it was ready to go forward with an additional $370,000 worth of capital projects that were listed in but not mandated by a 2014 bond totaling $41.3 million.

“Every time work is done the board needs to award a contract to get it done,” said Joseph Dragone, the assistant superintendent for business and administration. “We’re waiting for the board to say formal things but I think we got pretty clear direction” on Thursday.

The additional capital projects, called alternates, are left over for the board to determine approval based on the pace and cost of work mandated by the 2014 bond.

“The point isn’t to talk about digging,” said Eric Kaeyer, a design principal and vice president with the architectural firm KG&D, which is designing the capital projects.

“I want to address a few remaining items that are near and dear to your hearts,” he told the board and administration officials on Thursday.

The projects include a $125,000 renovation of the main lobby and first floor hallways at East Hills Elementary School, a $180,000 renovation of the first floor hallway at Harbor Hill School, a $15,000 installation of floor coverings at the Harbor Hill School, and a $50,000 installation of a student lounge near the entrance of Roslyn High School.

Clifford Saffron, the board vice president, said the renovation of the first floor hallway at East Hills Elementary School was crucial, considering other improvements pursued at the school since 2014.

“I was surprised to see the hallway wasn’t part of the [initial] bid,” Saffron said. “It’s the first thing you see. To leave it defeats the purpose of everything we did in the building.”

“It’s money well spent to finish what we started,” he added.

Board President Meryl Waxman Ben-Levy expressed support for the student lounge near the entrance of Roslyn High School.

“I know the nature of how students gather,” Ben-Levy said. “That will be a popular area.”

Dragone said the district has approximately $800,000 dollars remaining from the funds approved by taxpayers.

“Relax,” he told the board. “If you choose to do everything we talk about tonight, we’re going to be OK.”

The board also considered projects on Thursday that were not included as alternates in the 2014 bond, such as the removal of the lockers on the second floor of Roslyn High School and the renovation of the locker rooms at Roslyn High School. Kaeyer did not provide cost estimates for those projects.

The board could pursue such projects by gaining voter approval for the use of reserve funds, Dragone said.

“We’ll be making most of these decisions by April 1st because if anything needs to be done in the budget preparation process, it needs to be done by April 24,” he added.

“Anybody who listened to that [meeting] deduced the board is anxious to make the schools as beautiful as possible and make the educational experience as great as possible,” Dragone said. “But we want to make sure we don’t overburden taxpayers.”

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