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Babylon Schools set second-try bond vote; turf field proposal pulled off ballot Babylon Village residents will once again have the opportunity to vote on a $9.35 million Infrastructure Health and Safety Bond Proposal on Tuesday, February 13, 2007. Voting takes place 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Babylon Memorial Grade School. This is the second time the Babylon School Board is presenting this Health and Safety Bond before the public. Last November, the same bond proposal, along with a separate $1.9 million Athletic Facilities Bond Proposal, were voted down by residents. The Health and Safety Bond was defeated by 25 votes, while the Athletic Facilities Bond lost by 337. February's vote will only offer residents the $9.35 million Health and Safety Bond, untouched and unchanged from what was proposed three months ago. This bond proposal is the result of findings from the Building Condition Survey, which the district completed in November 2005 and submitted to the state education department in January 2006. All New York State school districts are required to complete these surveys every five years. The Health and Safety Bond calls for a variety of projects at each of Babylon's three school buildings. These include roofing replacements, asphalt paving repair and replacement, ceiling and lighting replacements, landscaping and irrigation work, renovations to the high school gyms, and a new hot water heater for the Elementary School. Projects outlined in the Health and Safety Bond remain unchanged from the original bond presented to voters in November 2006. According to Superintendent Ellen Best-Laimit PhD, this is because, after much discussion, the board agreed those projects need to be completed in the best interest of the health and safety of Babylon's students. "Based on November's exit poll and community feedback, we were pretty sure the Health and Safety Bond received a negative vote because of the Athletic Facilities Bond," said Best-Laimit. "The board believes this bond [Health and Safety] was and is responsible and it is important because of the health and safety reference." If the $9.35 million Health Safety Bond is approved by voters, residents would bear an annual debt service payment of $842,079 at an assumed interest rate of 5% for 15 years. The debt service would be state aided at 46.3 percent. According to the school district, an average home assessed at a value of 4,265 would see an increase in taxes of approximately $97.
The board will hold an informational meeting for the public about this bond proposal on Monday, January 29, 2007 at 8:15 p.m. in the High School Library and another meeting on Monday, February 12, 2007 at 8:15 p.m. in the Grade School cafeteria.
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