Millbrook school capital project to face Nov. 19 referendum

MILLBROOK — As part of an effort to provide residents with complete information on a Central School District maintenance and upgrade construction project, the first of two public information sessions was held at the Middle School auditorium on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

Three years in the planning, the project has been conceptually defined by BBS Architects of Patchogue, New York, represented at the meeting by Frederick Seeba, BBS Managing Partner, and Joseph Rettig, BBS Partner. They were on hand to answer questions or provide clarification.

Attendance at the meeting was scant, but it was only one aspect of a vigorous multi-pronged information dissemination effort. Flyers that summarize the project have been distributed to all households in the district, as have newsletters and other notices. The district’s website also describes the project in detail and invites residents to ask questions or provide comment.

“It took three years to get to where we are today,” said school superintendent Caroline Hernandez Pidala. The objective of the planning was “to make the learning environment better for the students,” Hernandez Pidala said. The work had begun with a survey of building conditions.

An Energy Performance Contract was included in the initial planning “to identify upgrades that would pay for themselves over time,” Hernandez Pidala said.

As the planning developed, Hernandez Pidala said that solar energy was eliminated from consideration by the project design team in an effort to trim costs.

“We are looking at how our buildings breathe,” Hernandez Pidala said, in explaining the need for instituting modern systems of ventilation and circulation throughout district schools.

The project planning has been organized into school-specific needs divided among four schools. Elliot Garcia, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Personnel, explained in reviewing the highlights of needed maintenance and upgrade work.
In addition to a roof with 80% needing repair and leaking, the Middle School building exhibits the highest maintenance needs, particularly to the HVAC systems, Garcia said. Plans call for the present HVAC system to be removed and replaced with air filtration and circulation provided by an energy-efficient system.

The relationship of the buildings to current code is an important consideration, Garcia said. When improvements are to be undertaken, the state is likely to require that the project include whatever is necessary to bring the structure up to meet current code.

The project’s three Propositions, although voted upon as a package, are contingent, the scope of work of each dependent upon passage of the one before, Garcia said. He explained that if Proposition 1 (Elm Drive and the Middle School) passes at the referendum then Proposition 2 (Alden Place) could proceed, and if Propositions 1 and 2 pass, then the way is clear for the work contained in Proposition 3 (High School) to proceed.

All three propositions involve improvements to the heating and ventilation systems, with the Middle School also gaining roofing and window replacement along with ADA compliant elevators.

Because there are funds on hand and other resources identified, the tax impact would not be felt by residents until the 2027-28 school year, Elliot said.

The total project cost for all three propositions is estimated at $59,867,973, but the cost to taxpayers would total $20,949,512 for all three propositions, the lesser figure made possible by using cash reserves, debt being retired, energy savings, and state aid.
Putting the tax impact into perspective, Elliot used a model of a home qualifying for a STAR exemption, with an assessed value of $500,000, that would see an annual tax increase of $513, for which the property owner would be getting $60 million in value for school improvements.

A second Public Information Session will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the Middle School Auditorium beginning at 6:30 p.m. The final date to register to vote in the referendum is Thursday, Nov. 14. The referendum on the project will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at the Middle School Auditorium, 12 to 9 p.m.

Any questions or comments are welcome and can be emailed to district.info@millbrookcsd.org.