Sag Harbor School District residents will go to the polls on Tuesday, December 8, to vote on a $7 million bond proposal to fund renovations and re-configurations at the district’s school buildings, and the resurfacing of its three parking lots.
Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Pierson High School gymnasium. Only residents of the Sag Harbor School District, which includes much of Noyac, may cast ballots.
If the bond issue is approved by voters, it will fund the proposed work and be repaid over 15 years. According to district officials, bond approval would mean an approximately $104 annual tax increase for the owner of a house assessed at $1 million—slightly higher than the mean assessment in the district. But officials noted that the district will also close out a previous $3 million bond issue this year, which will reduce the tax burden by about $40 for the same homeowner, easing the net burden.
The district has also highlighted energy savings from some of the mechanical improvements that will be made, including improved heating controls and new low-energy lighting fixtures.
The bulk of the money will go toward repairs or replacements of windows, roofing and doors—many of which are necessary to bring the district’s school buildings into compliance with building, fire or safety codes. There will also be improvements made to the ventilation and heating systems and electrical work in both buildings that will reduce the district’s energy costs.
The three parking lots at the two school properties will be repaved and have their layouts rearranged to allow for more parking spots. By simple re-striping, engineers would be able to expand the parking capacity by more than 60 spaces, from about 160 spaces to more than 220. The district had considered purchasing a nearby property and constructing a new parking lot but abandoned the plan because of the cost. The Pierson kitchen will be expanded to allow for more storage, additional stoves and a larger food prep area.
Also shelved were plans for a $2 million artificial turf athletic field, something the district says is needed to replace the uneven and pitted grass fields the school uses now but has decided to put off for a future bond because of sensitivity about the recession.
The primary cosmetic improvement to the school buildings will be the complete reconstruction of the main entrance to the Pierson School building, nearest Division Street, which will replace sidewalks, doors and the overhang as well as redesigned landscaping and the addition of a low wall just outside the building. The elementary school will get a new playground as well, one that is more accessible to handicapped students.
Michael Wright on Dec 2, 2009