Bethpage-Tribune_2003-08-29

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SERVING BETHPAGE, ISLAND TREES, OLD BETHPAGE, PLAINVIEW, SEAFORD AND PLAINEDGE
VOL 41 NO. 32 ' August 29-September 4, 2003 FORTY CENTS
Bethpage Schools Set to Open
On September 3
As the summer winds down,
Bethpage School District officials
want to assure parents that the
districtwide school building
improvement project remains on
schedule and that all of the
Bethpage Schools will open on
September 3, the scheduled first
day of school for Bethpage
students.
Major renovations began this
spring at both Central Boulevard
Elementary School and JFK Middle
School, while renovations to Charles
Campagne and Kramer Lane
Elementary schools near
completion.
Phase IV of the building project,
which encompasses exterior
renovations at both Central
Boulevard Elementary School and
JFK Middle School, and Phase V,
which encompasses interior
renovations at these sites, are
continuing. Phase IV includes
roofing, masonry and window
replacement. Roofing is 85%
complete at both schools and will be
completed by October. Masonry
repairs are 90% complete and will be
finished by the end of September.
New windows have been delivered
to the site. Window replacement is
now commencing, as it was
necessary to complete the masonry
work first, before beginning removal
and installation. Window
replacement at both sites should be
completed by the end of November.
Interior renovations, including new
hallway ceilings and classrooms
ceilings where needed, electrical
upgrades, plumbing, heating and
ventilation upgrades, and ADA
(American With Disabilities Act)
mandated improvements to make
the building better accessible for the
disabled, are all underway as part of
Phase V. Some of these projects will
continue after the school year
begins.
"All of our buildings, including
JFK and Central Boulevard, where
major renovations are ongoing, will
open on time, with minimal impact to
the instructional program," said
Superintendent of Schools Harvey
Hilburgh. "All renovations that have
not been completed by the
scheduled start of school will be
accomplished after school hours
and on weekends, which is not
uncommon. Our schools will be safe
and ready for children when the
doors open on September 3."
Phases l-lll, which encompass
interior and exterior renovations at
Charles Campagne and Kramer
Lane Elementary Schools, are
nearing completion. Minor finishing
of the roofs at both buildings will be
completed by the end of August.
Interior work at these schools is
more than 90% complete. Flooring
has been poured at both sites and
finishing is underway. Once the
floors are completed an old stairwell
will be removed in each building to
accommodate ADA mandated
elevators. Completion is expected
by October/November at Kramer
Lane and by November at
Campagne as the school's library will
also be expanded. Once this is
done, renovations of these schools
will be entirely complete.
All plans for exterior renovations
at Bethpage High School (Phase VI)
have been submitted to the State
Education Department (SED) for
review. Approval is expected
shortly. This phase will commence
during the summer of 2004.
Designs for interior renovations at
the high school (Phase VII) are in the
final stages of development and will
be submitted to SED shortly. This
work will also begin during the
summer of 2004. District officials are
in the discussion stage with the
engineering firm about plans for the
district bus garage (Phase VIII), the
final phase of the districtwide
building project.
SCHOOL'S OPEN
WkDRIVE CAREFULLY 1 Wk
Mangano Hosts Talk of the Town at
Bethpage Post Office
Legislator Edward Mangano (right) recently held another
installment of Talk of the Town at the Bethpage Post Office.
Talk of the Town is a traveling public forum that provides
residents with a convenient environment to discuss issues of
concern with Legislator Ed Mangano. Residents can meet and
speak to Legislator Mangano one-on-one. Legislator Mangano
had the pleasure of meeting and discussing issues that
concerned Bethpage, Farmingdale, Levittown and Plainedge
residents.
Bethpage Water Keeps Flowing
No Power, No Problem for the
Bethpage Water District. After a
decade long effort to keep all Water
District facilities operating in the
event of a power failure, diesel
power generators automatically
switched on to operate the District
pumps at the outset of Thursdays
power failure. The Commissioners of
the Water District planned for
auxiliary power system to operate
mostly during weather related power
failure emergencies. The auxiliary
system can operate all of the Water
District facilities, including office
operations, for extended periods of
power outage. The system could
operate indefinitely as long as
diesel fuel is available.
Commissioner Bill Ellinger reported
that "a one week supply of fuel is on
hand at all times." The best part of
the story is that due to the long
range planning, all of the
improvements were paid for out of
the annual budget without tax
increases. Commissioner Anthony
Mancini made special note to thank
the employees of the District for
their extra efforts during the
emergency. The combination of
preparedness and knowledgeable
professional staff served Bethpage
residents well last Thursday and will
do so in the future if necessary.