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BOCES sets vote on capital improvment project Residents in Western Suffolk BOCES will be asked to approve a $5.48 million capital improvement project for the construction of a permanent complex at its offices at 507 Deer Park Rd., Dix Hills. The plan is to replace the aging modular and portable facility there. The vote is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 14 from 2 to 8 p.m. at the James E. Allen Elementary School, 762 Deer Park Rd., Dix Hills. It is open to all residents of the 18 school districts served by Western Suffolk BOCES, including, Amityville, Babylon, Copiague, Lindenhurst, North Babylon, West Babylon, and Deer Park. Applications for absentee ballots are available from the District Clerk of BOCES, by calling 631- 549-4900, ext. 222. If the ballot is being picked up at the Clerk’s office, voters have until 5 p.m. Dec. 13, the day before the vote to do so, and must have the completed ballot returned to the Clerk by 5 p.m. the day of the vote. BOCES has $2.23 million of the total cost on hand, leaving the balance of $3.24 million to be borne by the 18 districts over the next three years. (For a list of each district’s assessment, see related chart, page 3). Prior to making its current proposal, the BOCES board completed a 3-year study that reviewed the size and condition of the buildings currently housing its administration offices, the space utilization at its schools and the projected needs for office space. The board concluded that the portable units are in need of structural repairs and that the mechanical and electrical systems are no longer energy efficient and cannot be updated. The proposed 22,178 square foot addition will be pre-engineered, and constructed on a schedule to minimize disruption of operations. If approved by the voters, the project will be forwarded to the state education for approval with bids going out late spring, early summer and construction slated for late summer, early fall. “Our modular structures have reached a point where cosmetic repairs will not solve the serious structural and mechanical problems inherent in the aging process of portable units,” said Dr. Michael Mensch, Western Suffolk BOCES’ CEO. The portables have been in use for approximately 35 years. BOCES officials met with the local school superintendents to outline the proposal before moving forward. “This project was not taken lightly and it is a conservative approach to bring about some needed renovations,” said William Bolton, Copiague Superintendent of Schools. “I am supportive of it.” Lindenhurst School Superintendent Neil Lederer agreed. "Those facilities were old and in deplorable condition," he said. They were leaking and unsafe, so this project is necessary and I
fully support it." He added that the contributions from each school district were reasonable.
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