BBSD voters pass $18.3 million bond
October 24, 2024 at 1:53 a.m.
The Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street Elementary School old gym echoed with applause after Blind Brook District Clerk Vivian Groccia announced that it was 9 p.m. The polls for the bond referendum were closed.
Within a minute, results were printed from the two voting machines Blind Brook School District residents had used to cast their votes throughout the day on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
Board of Education members gathered around as Groccia tallied the votes, each asking in their own way: did the $18.3 million bond pass?
Even before the 55 absentee and early votes were considered, the answer was clear: Yes.
Of the 1,196 ballots cast, which was 155 more than the budget and Board of Education election vote saw in May, 777 were in favor of the proposition.
“We’re really excited this passed,” Board President Jeffrey Mensch said. “I think we’ve been talking about the need to reinvest in the schools because of the lack of investment and I’m glad to see the community come out and support that.”
He credited the result to voter turnout, and lauded Groccia for her work reminding residents to visit the polls.
“From what we’ve seen in the past, there’s always going to be 200 to 400 no votes,” Mensch said. “As a board, it’s our job to get more than 400 people to turn out on the positive side. So, if we can get 1,000 people to show up, we’re in good shape. I think the turnout today was because of Vivian’s efforts.”
The project consists of various maintenance upgrades and replacements across the district buildings. The work includes:
*A new track and baseball field
*Renovations of MS/HS bathrooms
*Replacement of the MS/HS HVAC systems
*New MS/HS electric service equipment
*A new HS elevator
*Addressing a leak in the MS roof
*RSS field drainage
*Auditorium systems
*Reconfiguration of several classrooms
The projects, largely, stem from the district’s 5-year facilities plan drafted in 2021 and were deemed the most critical items to address across the district.
Blind Brook Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Facilities Laurie Baum uses her phone to determine by what percentage the bond passed.By David Tapia
The district priced the work at $19.5 million but is using $1.15 million of the Capital Reserve Fund to reduce the amount of debt incurred.
“We’re going to be doing everything we can to improve our facilities, but we’re also going to be working on some long-term plans,” Superintendent Dr. Colin Byrne said. “I know there are some concerns about being in this situation often, so we’re looking at our budgeting to minimize the need to do this on a frequent basis.”
He referenced comments he’d received from residents that the referendum came so soon after the completion of the multi-bond Ridge Street School construction that was officially completed last year.
Mensch was also conscious of the lessons learned from that project, funded by two bonds—a $44.7 million referendum passed in October 2017 along with an additional $6 million that voters approved in December 2021.
“There’s a lot of work to do, and it’s very important to us to get things done before they break,” he said. “And I want to make it clear that we have no intention of doing construction work during the school year. People have had such bad experiences with that, we want to make sure we’re doing work that doesn’t interrupt student experience.”
While a timeline has yet to be set for most of the work, the board will be looking to get one project done as quickly as possible.
“The state has reinstituted third party reviews (for capital projects), and the plans for the baseball field will be sent in as soon as possible,” Mensch said. “With that expedited timeframe, our hope is that we’ll be starting work by Jan. 1, and given a mild winter, it’ll be ready for spring play.”
Additionally, he’s optimistic the first project will create some leeway for funding.
“I think if the pace goes as well as the football field, it’ll be done early and under budget,” he said. That playing area, which was closed alongside the baseball diamond after failing an impact safety test in March, was budgeted for $1.2 million, but the contract awarded to LandTek Group was $937,900. According to Mensch, that field was completed several weeks ahead of schedule.
Financial savings would open up the door for other issues the district would like to address, which were included in the 5-year plan but cut from the bond proposal to lessen the burden on taxpayers. They are:
*Accessories for the field
*Bleachers and/or dividers for all gyms
*Office/conference room construction
*Soundproofing of HS Commons
*MS locker bay conversion
*Security needs
The added debt is estimated to increase the bill of an average homeowner with a property valued at $1 million by $163 annually, which does not consider other typical year-over-year increases seen in school budgets.
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