The Port Washington Board of Education meeting was held on Jan. 21 and concern over the tax cap was expressed. The board will be holding a community forum at its Feb. 23 meeting to discuss the possibility of exceeding the allowable tax cap, which is expected to be lower than 2 percent, as the CPI is 0.12 percent for this budget season (see article page 8). The Tuesday, Feb. 23, meeting will be held at 8 p.m. in the Schreiber auditorium.
The debate over the turf fields on campus continued at the meeting as well. After a performance by the Daly School Choir, Assistant Superintendent of Business Mary Callahan framed the debate by summarizing the different types of material being considered and the investigative work conducted by the board to date. The meeting was then turned over to Athletic Director Stephanie Joannon and Director of Facilities James Ristano to provide further information and recommendations, followed by a presentation by architect Joseph Ritteg of BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers.
The main issue is the type of fill to be used on the upper and lower field renovations, which were included as part of the bond referendum. Directors Joannon and Ristano visited schools in the tri-state with fields constructed in the last five years using crumb rubber, cool fill and organic type fill. Made from ground-up tires, crumb rubber fill is used on almost all turf fields but has come under fire in recent years over health and safety concerns. A few districts have installed cool fill, a coated version of crumb rubber, designed to reduce heat retention. Organic products, made from husks or cork, are available but come with a significant cost differential, including ongoing maintenance costs. According
to Ritteg, the cost of installing the organic option could go as high as $700,000 over the budgeted amount for both fields, as opposed to cool fill, which would be approximately $140,000
over budget.
After a spirited debate over cost, safety issues and environmental concerns, the decision on the matter was tabled until additional information on the temperature difference between crumb rubber and cool fill materials and the impact on the budget is provided.
Also on the agenda: a resolution for the district to join other schools in Nassau County in preserving its legal rights
with regard to certain payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTS) due
to the district from PSEG this fiscal year.
The board also announced the adoption of the 2016-17 school calendar, noting that classes will once again begin before Labor Day.
