Board To Vote On $69.9M Bond

After months of discussion, the Port Washington Board of Education will vote on Jan. 13 whether to adopt a resolution asking the community to float a nearly $70 million bond to repair ailing parts of buildings and engage in new construction.
The board’s “capital project bond resolution” vote will be held at the Paul D. Schreiber High School auditorium at 8 p.m., with the public invited. Per the resolution, the total bond amount is $69,877,198, with payments spread over 20 years.
If the resolution passes, a vote by district residents will tentatively be held Tuesday, March 10. The approval must pass by a majority. The cost to taxpayers would be an average of $101 a year for the average assessed home over seven years (2015-23).
While individual board members have not been polled as to how they will vote, their desire to not be left behind, so to speak, is pretty clear. A posting on the district’s website, www.portnet.k12.ny.us., says, in part, “The board of education and administration know that the future of education is ever evolving. To remain competitive, the school district must evolve as well. The vision of the board and administration is to provide students with an environment that supports success now and into the future. The board and administration strongly believe the way to do this is to identify and address the repairs and renovations needed throughout the district.”
The list of capital projects proposed for the bond referendum includes two categories: facility needs and spatial needs.
Facility needs involve numerous repairs and renovations to district facilities, including new construction to create what the school board calls “a 21st-century learning environment” for current students and the district’s growing student population.
The spatial needs category involves new construction at all seven buildings in the district, including permanent integrated structures, which will replace portables.
The complete list of proposed capital projects represents months of collaboration among the board of education, district administrators and professional staff, community groups and individuals, an architectural firm and an independent demographer, the school board said.
The scope of work will be discussed during the Jan. 13 meeting.
For those unable to attend the Jan. 13 meeting, more information regarding the capital project bond resolution can be found on the district’s website.