Greenport School District

Take Two: Revised Greenport school bond up for vote Tuesday

Greenport residents will head to the Dude Manwaring Gymnasium once again today, Tuesday, to vote on a capital bond proposal to renovate and upgrade school facilities.

After voters rejected a $23.8 million version of the capital improvement bond by a slim 23-vote margin in June, school board members hosted several work sessions over the summer to reformat the plan.

The revised capital improvement bond is approximately $7 million less, at $17.18 million.

If it is approved, the district will apply $1 million from its capital reserve fund to reduce the total amount to be bonded from the overall project cost of $18.18 million.

The project will be undertaken by Tetra Tech Architects and Engineers, which pitched the initial $29.8 million bond proposal in January with Superintendent David Gamberg.

“Appropriately, we’ve listened to the community and condensed the scope to what we believe to be the most important,” Mr. Gamberg said Monday, “and thus brought down the total cost.”

The general perception of the bond, he said, is positive and the community has been heard.

“Understandably, they’ve felt it was beyond what they thought was affordable. It is, even still, a sizable project that touches a great many areas of the physical building to bring it into a healthier, safer, better learning environment,” he said.

The June vote featured two propositions. The first one had to be approved to consider the second, which would have allowed for the addition of a six-lane track and reconstruction of four exterior tennis courts, which are not included in the revised proposal.

What has changed?

Eliminated from previous proposal

• New track and score board

• New concession stand building and press box

• Reconditioning of baseball and softball fields

• New tennis courts, weight room and playground

• Flexible learning space

Modified or reduced from previous proposal

• New outdoor bleachers: Cost reduced from $385,000 to $50,000

• Marine career and tech shop: Cost reduced to $927,000 by adapting current shop room

• Art rooms: Cost reduced from $500,000 to $265,000 by upgrading existing rooms

• Cafeteria renovation: Scope of work reduced

If approved, the new bond will:

• Renovate bathrooms

• Repair exterior masonry

• Repair ceilings and interior plaster

• Replace floor tiles on second and third floors

• Replace corridor lockers on second and third floors

• Replace rooftop air handling units

• Replace classroom univents and building dust collector

• Upgrade main power and electrical panel

• Replace PA/clock systems

• Construct shared pre-K bathroom

• Repair flooring/lockers in boys’ and girls’ locker rooms

• Construct building information sign

• Install card reader, interior and exterior cameras

• Replace interior door and hardware

• Partially replace field irrigation system

• Renovate existing paved area east of building

• Renovate existing science and NJROTC rooms, secondary library

• Construct new auxiliary gymnasium

• Convert two classrooms for TV studio control room

• Renovate existing multipurpose room

• Relocate elementary library

• Convert current elementary library to home economics room

• Convert one classroom to chorus room

• Convert high school office to regular classroom

• Convert current home economics room to business office

• Convert current business office to high school guidance office

• Convert existing chorus room to social work office

• Convert one classroom to elementary office

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