Sag Harbor School District Begins To Set Priorities For Stella Maris Renovations

Representatives of an architectural firm laid out a detailed plan of attack for renovating the former Stella Maris school building for the Sag Harbor School Board last week.The school district plans to convert the former Catholic school into a multi-purpose space that would house prekindergarten classes, business offices and early childhood intervention classes, among other uses.Bill Sands and Ed Bernhauer of the architectural firm BCK-IBI also presented a list of estimated expenses to the School Board on Monday, October 2.Mr. Bernhauer broke the project into three phases. The first would cost more than $5.5 million and would bring the building into compliance with State Education Department codes.He told the School Board that essential renovations would include exterior work, such as replacing the roof of the classroom wing and auditorium, and restoring exterior masonry. This phase also would include interior work—installing an elevator and renovating restrooms—to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as well as replacing ceilings and floor finishes for both the main story and the basement level, where a sprinkler system would also be added. Heating and air conditioning units in the basement and on the main floor also would be replaced.The second phase, which would cost more than $1.7 million, would include installing security systems for the exterior and interior front doors, replacing the auditorium floor, renovating the ceiling and floor of the basement, replacing the playground, and replacing the building’s fire alarm system.The third phase, which would consist of a list of “future projects” that could be tackled at a later date, would include renovating equipment in the kitchen and providing lighting and sound to the auditorium, at a cost totaling more than $960,000.Some board members expressed concern about which items were on the list of essential renovations to be tackled first. One of them, Susan Lamontagne, said replacing the floor in the auditorium is a priority, since the auditorium also will serve as a gymnasium, with a basketball court that district sports teams could use as a place to practice.Ms. Lamontagne also pointed out the need to have a more thorough discussion about playground replacement, with Superintendent Katy Graves chiming in that there should be more talk about the material that will be used for the playground surface, and whether it should be rubber-based.Chris Tice, another board member, brought up the need to establish a full-service kitchen in the Stella Maris building, noting that although installing kitchen equipment is listed as a “future project,” a new exhaust system and a new sink are listed among the immediate ones. Ms. Tice pointed out that, at previous public forums on Stella Maris, community members had supported having a full-service kitchen in the building.“It would be the only full-service kitchen we would have in the district, because we don’t have one here, unfortunately,” Ms. Tice said. “We would have a full-service kitchen that could supply the elementary school and do all sorts of wonderful things as well.”Mr. Bernhauer replied that he would work with the board to figure out what could be added to the “essential” list of renovations.Mr. Sands closed the presentation by saying that the project is expected to receive approval from the Department of Education by May of next year, and that the hope is to open bids for the project by May 1 and undertake construction from June through November 2018.