The Port Washington Board of Education meeting held on Dec. 10 covered a number of topics during their latest meeting. Two major topics included the cost of the roofing needs the development of a property in Sands Point that the district owns.
The meeting began with an update on the roofing needs. According to the board, a through scan of the roofs on the district buildings is currently taking place. After the scan in completed, roof priority lists numbers one and two will be compared to determine if any of the roof sections are eligible for revitalization, which could then reduce the priority ones figure of a roof that needs to be totally ripped and replaced.
“That is going to take us a bit of time especially with the holiday break coming up,” Mary Callahan, assistant superintendent for business said. “By the time we get the results and have an opportunity to meet with the architect and review each and every one of those priority one roof sections. I’m not sure if by the January meeting, if we will have sufficient information to help you make an informed decision relative to a long-term bond. In terms of budget, I think we need to talk more about a contingency, which would involve the general budgeting for 2021.”
Board member Dave Kerpen requested to see references for the roofing company, which is conducting the scan of the districts roofs for revitalization. The board discussed their concerns for a roof bond or a transfer to capital to fund the work.
“We have all talked about how we do not want to do something last minute,” board member Emily Beys said “We want to have the opportunity to educate the community and get as much buy-in and support or understanding from what the community feels ahead of time.”
Kerpen requested to have a spreadsheet of the three different funding plans for the roof work. The three cost options, bond, transfer to capital or a combination of both will be examined and discussed by the board at an upcoming meeting.
The board also discussed the idea of solar panels. The district has consulted with multiple vendors in the past but the proposals were never submitted to the district for work. The board brought up a number of suggestions such as solar energy in the district parking lots, geothermal energy uses and initiatives. The board plans to contact experts in solar energy to present options for the district.
Another major topic discussed during the meeting was the district’s property located in Sands Point. The board discussed the possibility of converting the building into a facility for multi-purpose uses with rental opportunities. The board came up with a few ideas for the possible building, such as an indoor swimming pool, a bowling alley, a special education resource center, an equestrian or science center, or a child center with BOCES.
“I think it’s important before we come up with ideas, if we do really want to pursue this, we would have to get community input,” Beys said. “It has to be an educational and if possible, could we rent it out as well and could it be a revenue making opportunity for us.”
A subcommittee was established to further study the options for the property. The committee will continue to solicit community members for ideas.
Residents who may have missed the meeting now have a chance to listen to it via a podcast. All future board of education meetings will be posted online using the Anchor app, so residents will now have the opportunity to listen to the podcast without attending the meeting. To listen to the Dec. 10 meeting, or any future meetings, visit www.anchor.fm/port-washington-ufsd. The next board of education meeting will take place on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. at Schreiber High School’s auditorium.
