The proposed $36.5 million school bond referendum was the focus of a meeting sponsored by the Garden City PTA on October 8th in the high school library.

Before launching into a video and PowerPoint presentation explaining why the school district believes there is a need for a bond, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen stressed the importance of simply voting on October 27th. The school investment bond vote will be held from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the gymnasium of the Garden City High School.

Dr. Feirsen said between 20 percent of eligible registered voters without children, and 25 to 27 percent of eligible voters with children, actually cast a ballot in school elections. A qualified voter must be a U.S. citizen 18 years of age, a resident of the Garden City School District for 30 days prior to the vote and a duly registered voter.

“Traditionally, or at least as long as I’ve been here, we get a very low turnout for school elections,” he said. A review of voting records by district administrators revealed that it is common to see just one vote per household, when in fact, there are usually at least two eligible voters per residence. Voting records reveal who voted; how the person actually voted is not included.

Dr. Feirsen said he and the school board would like to have a representative sample of the community cast their vote in this election. “Obviously, we respect whatever the community decides,” he said. “But I think it would be important for everyone to know that, whatever the vote is, it was a vote that represented the will of the community, and not a sliver. So, I urge you to come out and vote.”

Residents were welcome to ask questions after Dr. Feirsen covered the health and safety items covered in the bond and Albert Chase, assistant superintendent of business and finance, went over the financial ramifications. At its peak, the bond will cost the average homeowner approximately 71 cents a day, or $261 a year. The “average homeowner” is defined as someone who owns a home assessed at $2,300 by the Nassau County Dept. of Assessment. This means the home’s fully assessed value totals $920,000.

Virginia Bolack asked if the district was investigating geothermal solutions and why they chose not to add an air conditioning system in the high school gymnasium. She mistakenly believed the bond includes air conditioners for the auditorium and the library. She said it is “barbaric” to force students to take Regents exams in a hot and stuffy gymnasium in June. Bolack lived in London for five years and claimed all of rooms in the schools were equipped with air conditioning systems. “It was so much more pleasant to go to school with air conditioning,” she said. “It’s gross to be sitting in a hot, sweaty gym.”

Burton, Behrendt and Smith, a Long Island-based, multi-discipline architectural and engineering firm specializing in educational design, has recommended that the district begin an energy performance contract at a cost of $6,063,900. However, there is no cost to taxpayers because the projects are funded out of the energy savings, which are guaranteed by the contractor.

BBS architect Joseph Rettig corrected Bolack, saying the library and auditorium will not be air conditioned. Instead, what is included in the bond is equipment to provide the code-required minimum for fresh air exchange, which is 15 cubic feet per minute per occupant.

The last time the school district sought public approval for a capital improvement bond was in 1998. Two votes were held: Voters did not approve a proposed bond totaling more than $50 million during the first referendum, but approval was granted after the district reduced the bond to $37,856,000 for the second vote. She reasoned that it is possible that if the larger number had been approved during the last bond, some of the projects which are included in the current proposed bond would have been completed back then, when things were less expensive.

School Board President Colleen Foley agreed with Bolack, saying she would have preferred to have the larger bond approved 10 years ago so that more projects could have been covered. “But at the end of the day, we have to present something that the entire community is going to accept, and some things have to go.”

She said the Board, recognizing today’s economic climate, took a very conservative approach when it came to the current bond. She said during initial discussions with members of the ad hoc committee, the school board was considering a bond totaling more than $60 million. Architects from BBS then presented the committee with a total of $45.19 million for all facility and program-driven projects, but were asked by the School Board to reduce that number even further. “I would like to do all of the things on that list. But there’s a financial reality to getting this done.”

Bolack argued that she would like to see air conditioning units for the high school gymnasium included in the bond instead of additional music space. She reasoned that more students take examinations in the gym than participate in the music program.

Foley said with more than 800 students, music is the single largest program that the district offers. She said the school board is not insensitive to students taking exams in a hot and stuffy gym and has considered temporary ways to alleviate the heat by renting units for testing day.

Dr. Feirsen said the ad hoc facilities committee worked tirelessly to cut the list of projects. “It was a subject of intense discussion and a lot of anguish over what to put in and what to take out.” He reminded residents that the cost of air conditioning does not only include the actual units. The system also affects the roof and electricity costs.

Frank Ruggiero, a resident who served on the committee, said they prioritized projects from 1 through 5. Level 1 projects were deemed the most critical, and include those aimed toward improving health and safety items and compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. The committee is trying to make each building in the district meet the minimum ADA requirements. There are no level 5s on the list, and just “a handful” of 4s.

Ruggiero admitted that if he did not serve on the committee he would have voted the bond down since his children are out of the school system and his taxes have quadrupled since he moved to Garden City 19 years ago. “But being a part of this committee, I’m going to vote for this, because it has to get done. This is the real number folks. We’re not playing one hand behind the back.”

He said if the bond is voted down, it will take another one to two years to bring it back for another vote. The committee will have to rework the entire bond and bring the new total back to the school board for approval. Then, it has to follow a specific timeline in order to set a new referendum date. “Things are going to get worse. The roof at the high school is not going to wait for us to come back.”

Thomas Pinou, president of the Western Property Owners’ Association, asked what the timeline would look at if the bond is passed on October 27th.

If the bond passes, building plans will be submitted to the State Education Department. Approval usually takes eight to 12 weeks. The first borrowing phase will take place in the spring or summer of 2010 and work will commence in the summer of that year, starting with the high school roof. The space reconfiguration at the Middle School will begin in March 2011, and work at Homestead and the High School will commence in November. All projects should be completed by December of 2012.

Pinou also asked what the district considers to be the “Top 5” projects. Dr. Feirsen said the High School roof would be on the list because every year it requires emergency patching work. The money comes from the $1 million the district allocates in its annual budget for capital improvements. If the roof is replaced, the money that went toward patching would be able to be used for other projects.

Pinou also asked if residents should expect another bond referendum in 5 to 7 years. Foley responded that it is difficult to predict the future. It is not uncommon for school districts to look at their facilities every 10 years and consider undertaking some large projects.

A man in the audience asked what will happen if contractors are faced with unforeseen problems, such as asbestos behind the walls, in tiles or on the roof. Dr. Feirsen assured residents that this is a complete bond, which includes contingencies. Former school board president Kenneth Monaghan, who was in the audience, said that the high school roof was tested for asbestos in 1998. Monaghan also served on the citizens’ ad hoc committee in 1997 to review bond proposals.

Lynn Hayes expressed concerns that in the last bond $1.5 million was designated to build new libraries in the primary schools. She said that did not happen; instead, the libraries were “mildly renovated.”

Foley responded that there was a change in administration during that time, which included a new superintendent, and “a change in how we were delivering the philosophy of reading and what to do.” She said the libraries underwent “substantial renovation,” including new lighting, carpet, books and ceiling. Monaghan explained that in 1997, when the citizens’ ad hoc committee at the time asked the district’s Central Administrators for their priorities list, the response was the offices and administration building. “We knew that wasn’t the top priority,” he said. The committee decided to redo the libraries at every school, since they were viewed as “the heart” of the school, particularly at the elementary, middle and high school levels. He said they put a lot of money into all of the libraries and realized it did not make sense to expand the primary libraries as originally planned.

Hayes asked that in light of this, how can the public be assured that they will receive what is included in the bond up for a vote on Oct. 27?

Dr. Feirsen said there will be a system of checks and balances established. A construction manager will monitor the overall project. The ad hoc facilities committee will likely remain active to provide updates and reports to the school board at regular public school board meetings.

“I think you made the right decision with the primary library,” Hayes said. “At the time, the way to go was the way we ended up going. But I just don’t want to see that happen again.” She added that there was new high school music space in the original bond that got voted down, and she does not want to see the same fate for the proposed music addition in the upcoming bond.

Foley said the school board said any variation will be fully explained at school board meetings and trustees will be receptive to hearing the public’s concerns.

Maureen Cornacchia said she “takes objection” to the fact that the library plans were changed after the bond was approved and does not want to see it happen again.

Foley responded that variations will be necessary as the Board moves through the construction process.