The-Leader_2007-09-27

              Freeport comes home
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Baldwin High School science teacher ("hristopher Sheehan was one of 58 educators u the metropolitan area selected for the 2007 Weightless Flight of Discovery Program held III Bethpage on September 10, co-sponsored by I'le Northrop Grumman Foundation and Zero ' iravit%' Corporation. This professional devel-
pment program includes both hands-on sci-
nce workshops and weightless flights to help I :achers inspire their smdents to study math ind science.
Aboard a specially modified Boeing 727 soar­ing 30,000 feet in the air, Mr. Sheehan experi­enced the simulated low-gra\'ity environments of the moon and Mars as well as zero gravity.
Said Mr. Sheehan, "It was probably the
coolest thing I've ever done. It makes you think
ibout how graviiy is important in your everj"
day life. Just the simplest movement without
gravity sends you flymg."^
Mr. Sheehan ^d he^wcrali'biiig ttiis experi­ence back into his Earth Science classes, espe­cially when discii'ising ara\itv and astrnnomv
Freeport schools unveil $17IVI capital plan
byMarfclbeske
Hie Frcqwit Board of Education ixesent-ed a $17 niillion capital improwment plan to the community at its Wednesday, September 19 meeting.
In his opening remarks, Superintencfent Dr. Eric Eversley thanked staff and parents for a successftd opening of school, as well as encouraging people to fill out the a|^ca-tions for Middle Qass STAR relief fliey would receive shortly. (See sidebar for news regarding Assistant Superintendent Robert WajTie Harris.) Capital iniprovement Plan
In introducing die presentation, Superintendmt Dc Edc Evex^y noted ttm. the district has a re^KXtslnliQr to fiitme gen­erations of students to maintain die school's in&astructure. He thanked the PTA Council, the Finance Budget Advisorj' committee, the unions and other stakeholders fcff dieir input into the project
Deputy Superintendent Kishore Kuncham then revisited a subject discussed at an earlier board meeting: TTie state EXCEL (Expanding our Children's
Education and Learning) program. Hie Dormatorj' Authoritj' of the State of New York is authorized to issue $2.6 billion in bonds and notes. TTiose fiuKls will be made available to districts throughout flie state fcH" <^tain tj-pes of capital improvement pxij-ects - thcKe having to do with education ledmolo^, health and safety, accessibility, jAysical capacity expanaon and eneigy.
Reepcat, as a "high need" district, is enti-ded to S778.22 per student, which works out to a total of S5.088 million. The district can then combine the EXCEL aid with building aid; since the district's reimbursement rate is 70.1 patent of approved expenditures, the $S.088 milliai aSsesis the district's share (29.9 pacHit) and eaoaUes Rreqxxt to levar-age atawst an additional $12 million, pro­viding a total of $17,016,729 for capital improvements at virtually no expense to the district. Bonds will have to be issued shcart-term imtil EXCEL and reimbursement monies arrive; but Mr. Kuncham believes the district will be able to fidfiU this minimal expense from its operating budget.
Joe Gennaro dien outlined the $17 million
of capital px)jects included in the plan, not­ing that ttese are &e most pressing of some $50 million of infiastiuctuie needs the dis­trict must address, lowing picttnes^mon-strating what needs to be n^aired-
• Columbus Avenue School: Exterior mas(»uy wall re^txaticHi, boil^iepacement and emagoK^ UgJhtiBg upgrade. Total: $1,123 million..
• Archer Street School: Slate and fcit n»f replacement, moal window leplacemrai, exterior masonry wall restcHation, ext^or masonry- wall restoration, exterior stair repairs and emergency lighting upgrades. Total: $1,680 million.
• Bayview Avaaue SciKwl: Renoa^ing fiat n)6f i^^acbnrait, paottiai noe^^inoda^ replacement, extaip mascmry wall RS^^ tion, select extericff door replacement, exte-rior.stairs and one^acy li^itiiDg oi^pide. Ibtel: $.917 millicm.
• Leo F. Giblyn School: Masonry and structural concrete wall repairs and emer­gency lighting upgrades. Total: $.549 million.
• Caroline G. .Atkinson School: Slate and
flat roof teplacertteni exterior masonry wall restoration, window replacement, select exterior door replacement, an emergency generator, miscellaneous repairs including hand rail replacement, concrete slab repair, fee painting or structural steel in the gym and emeigency lighting upgrades. Total: $4,745 nnllion.
John W. Dodd Middle School: Remaining roof replacement,-exlHiOT masonry wall restoration,, ex^oi' door replaceinent, coiBtyani window iqilacement, atrium sky-H^t replacement a fine alarm upgrade and emergency lighting upgrade. Total: $1,867 million.
RcegxBt Hi^ School: Remaining flat roof replacement, extorica- masoniy waD iqdacdnent,. replacement^ of deteriorated steel tiuss^ boiler teplacen^nt, basement egress to the exterior and emergency light-isag iq^grades. Total: $5,541 million.
Mr, Kuncham explained that only "buildings used; for educational pur­poses" were eligible for this aid, ren­dering the administration building and the high school field house ineligible (continued on page 9)
State relaxes U No charge in
ID standards I cop shooting
page 2 P^ page 5
Freeport authors
featured Sunday]
page 6.
Book fair
in Freeport
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