I.P. school district seeks $5M Sandy repair bond

At a Board of Education meeting on April 17, Island Park Schools Superintendent Dr. Rosemary Bovino outlined the provisions of a proposed bond that would authorize the spending of $5.1 million for repairs necessitated by Superstorm Sandy.

The 15-year bond is one of five propositions on the May 21 ballot, along with the 2013-14 school budget and an authorization to use several of the district’s reserve funds to pay for storm repairs. The money from the bond would fund Sandy-related work that has yet to be completed, and would also fund security and efficient-energy projects throughout the school district as well as the construction of a special education classroom.

The main purpose of the bond is to finish repairs on Lincoln Orens Middle School, Francis X. Hegarty Elementary School, the Island Park Public Library and the Conference Center. The district has been working with Roger Smith, the principal architect of BBS Architects in Patchogue, and two of his colleagues, Chief Engineer Fred Seeba and architect Steve Walsh, in assessing the damage and planning repairs. Contractors have been on site since February.

According to a press release from the district, scheduled restoration includes “improvement to the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical, lighting, public address and fire safety systems; the replacement of floors and doors; security improvements, including the installation of building access devices and security cameras; interior reconstruction and space reconfiguration; and the installation of fencing and electrical signage.”

District officials say they believe the bond will save taxpayers money in the long run.

“One of the things that we did not want to do was pierce the cap on the property tax levy,” said Bovino. “We realized that when you’re going to raise money through a tax levy, everyone in the community has to pay. Everybody who is a property owner at this time has to pay.”

According to calculations made by a district business official, Steve Valente, the district would be obliged to exceed the tax cap and raise taxes to 6.68 percent in order to raise just $1 million of the $5 million needed for the repairs. Under state law, that would require a majority of at least 60 percent of voters to pass the budget.

The bond would distribute some of the costs to future Island Park property owners. Repayment would take the form of an additional tax on property owners, and would cost an average household approximately $80.21 per year, with an option for the district to defer payment for the first year.

District officials warn that should the bond fail, Hegarty would be unable to open in the foreseeable future as a result of all the damage it suffered during Sandy and the lack of funds to pay for its repair. In addition, the other proposed projects would not be implemented.

If the bond passes, all four buildings would be completely operational by Sept. 1, in time for the next school year, officials say.