A $44M capital projects bond to provide enhancements for facilities in the Manhasset School District was approved by district residents 672-296 Thursday, officials announced.
The bond will fund approximately 50 projects slated for Munsey Park, Shelter Rock and the Secondary School. The projects fall under three categories: safety and security, infrastructure and academic and co-curricular.
District Superintendent Gaurav Passi n a statement expressed his gratitude to residents who allowed their voices to be heard during Thursday’s vote.
“We thank all Manhasset residents who took the time to vote on this proposition as well as the community volunteers who served on the District’s Long-Term Facilities Planning Committee,” Passi said.
The scope of work on the school tax bill, he said, would be less than $302 annually for the average assessed value of a Manhasset home. The average taxable assessed value of a Manhasset home was around $1,400, a figure that has since been updated to $1,240.
Out of the 50 projects, 14 are safety and security, totaling $10.4 million; 20 are infrastructure, totaling $11.9 million; and 16 are academic and co-curricular, totaling $21.6 million. In total, the Secondary School’s projects will cost approximately $24.3 million, while Munsey Park’s projects will cost $11 million and Shelter Rock’s will cost $8.6 million, according to officials.
Some of the main infrastructure enhancements include a boiler replacement and exterior wall restoration at Munsey Park, black box multi-purpose room and upper classroom reconstruction at Shelter Rock and auditorium stage, seat, sound equipment repair and replacement at the Secondary School, Passi said.
Reconstructing the Secondary School’s tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball field bleachers and stadium track lighting are also projects that the district could undertake five years from now, officials said.
Repairs to Munsey Park and the Secondary School are certainly warranted, Passi said, since the schools were constructed more than 80 years ago. Even the Shelter Rock building, he said, was built 54 years ago and while all three are still “beautiful buildings,” more work is required to keep them modernized inside and out.
The adoption of the bond by the board in October followed several months of research and analysis by the school district’s Long Term Facilities Planning Committee, Passi said. The committee toured each building and found nearly 70 total projects that could be undertaken before condensing the list to around 50.
“As we look toward the future and how we can best invest in our students and our schools, the proposed scope of work will allow us to improve safety and security and building infrastructure, as well as update and modernize facilities to enhance our students’ academic and co-curricular experiences,” Passi had said at a previous meeting.
