School Board Establishes Construction Action Plan
By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

The Garden City Board of Education has decided to form a committee that will study the possibility of issuing a bond to fund capital improvements in the district. The decision at the November 13th board work session came after discussion of a report from an engineering and construction management firm on the school district's capital improvement needs.

The announcement did not come as a surprise since School Board President Kenneth Monaghan had said at last month's work session that Garden City residents will likely have to vote on a bond in the next few years. As the number of capital improvements affecting health and safety continues to increase, Monaghan stressed the need to start the process immediately.

The school board is asking the property owners' associations to nominate one or two people to serve on a bond committee. They are also reaching out to the PTA and SEPTA. Nominees should have experience in architecture, finance and/or construction, or have a familiarity with district buildings.

One of the committee's primary responsibilities will be to decide what improvements the bond should cover. Monaghan said he would like to have the first committee meeting in January and hopes to have the committee's list by May.

At last month's work session, two representatives from Savin Engineers, P.C. presented a five-year capital and facility management plan that called for capital improvements totaling $34,244,500. The greatest need is at the High School and Middle School.

There are also several health and safety issues the district must deal with soon, including replacement of boilers and water heaters, HVAC systems, the roof at the High School and bus garage, exterior and interior doors, the electrical panel and components at the bus garage and the bleachers. Playgrounds also need resurfacing.

High priority capital projects for 2008-09 include the roof at the bus garage, replacement of boilers and resurfacing of the high school track. For the past nine years, the district has allocated $1 million in the budget for capital projects. Monaghan asked the board to consider increasing that amount in the next budget.

The district is looking to fund some of the projects with $1.4 million in New York State EXCEL funds. The EXCEL (Expanding our Children's Education and Learning) grant allows districts to make improvements to education technology, health and safety areas, energy and physical capacity expansion or school construction. The public must vote on whether or not to opt into the program to be eligible for the funds. The district can only take advantage of the grant once.

The last time the school district sought public approval for a capital improvement bond was in 1998. The bond totaled $37,856,000.

Monaghan said the school board has to also decide whether to stay with architects Peter Gisolfi Associates. The school district used the firm for previous construction projects but were not totally satisfied with their work. Monaghan recommended that the district hire a construction manager to oversee the entire project. He also suggested that the district contact Adelphi University officials to find out more about their use of state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling systems recently installed in their new sports center.