Long Island Schools Set to Start on $50-Million Upgrades This Summer
Construction is set to start this summer on nearly $50-million of school upgrades in the Plainview-Old Bethpage, N.Y. Central School District following voters’ approval last month of a school bond to finance the work.
Dubbed “Building Futures Together,” the construction program funded by the $49.8-million bond will encompass seven schools and two other buildings owned by the district. Work will focus primarily on energy upgrades, but also will fund security and safety-related work.
The buildings, most of which date back to the 1950s and 1960s, have original and very energy-inefficient single-pane windows, according to the district.
Construction will take place in four phases to prevent interruptions to educational activities, says Frederick Seeba, senior associate and director of engineering and technology at BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers, Patchogue, N.Y., the construction program’s lead architect and engineer.
“The majority of work, such as the replacement of all windows, masonry repairs, and other building envelope improvements, must be completed during warm weather,” Seeba says. Construction should finish by 2018.
“The construction program will include building envelope renovations that aim at improving energy efficiency, classroom and other interior renovations, safety and security upgrades, new technology systems, renovations of outdoor sports facilities, and infrastructure and building systems upgrades,” says Roger Smith, principal architect at BBS. “Energy efficiency improvements will result in annual savings of approximately $239,000 for the school district.”
According to BBS project manager Steven Walsh, the two-story, 234,930-sq-ft John F. Kennedy High School will undergo $5.8 million in renovations. These include a combination of 87 new interior and exterior digital video cameras, 33 motion detectors, a new fire alarm system with strobe lights and carbon monoxide detectors, all new exterior doors and frames, new doors in 48 classrooms and other key areas, and ADA-compliance upgrades, including a new chairlift to provide access to basement level spaces. Some 50,300 sq ft of new ceilings and lighting fixtures, as well as 34,000 sq ft of new vinyl composition tile flooring, also will be added.
The high school’s large group instruction space, which also serves as an auditorium and performance facility, will receive $955,000 in upgrades that will include a new sound system, ductwork insulation, seating for 610 spectators, projection location, proscenium curtains and valances, and flooring, as well as upgraded acoustics. Site work on school grounds will include two new tennis courts and renovations to four others.
Other schools set to undergo renovations as part of the program include Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School, Howard B. Mattlin Middle School, K-Center/Stratford Road Elementary School, Parkway Elementary School, Pasadena Elementary School, and Old Bethpage Elementary School.
Two non-educational buildings owned by the district, Jamaica Avenue and Fern Place, also will have renovations funded.