| Long neglected, and poorly planned from the outset, The Brookhaven-owned pool complex, located at 300 Mastic Beach Road in Mastic Beach, is slated for major renovations next July. Currently, the Brookhaven-Roe East YMCA leases the building from the Town of Brookhaven and offers an assortment of aquatic programs that have been popular with residents. Additionally, the William Floyd School District is under contract with the YMCA for the use of the pool for its swim teams. Several other swim teams, most notably the East End Swim Club also use the aging facility. “It needs a lot of work,” LaValle said. “The walls, the tile work, the plumbing, the electrical and heating systems all need to be upgraded. We had heard that the entire building was beyond repair but that is not so. Basically, the building itself is in good shape.” LaValle said that the repair work is not surprising for a nearly 30-year-old facility. But what had inspectors shaking their heads was the pool itself. It was known that the pool was in need of repairs, but the tour also revealed that the pool was not built to proper size requirements. “It is 18 inches short of 25 meters,” LaValle said. “All times for swim meets held at the Brookhaven pool are noted with an asterisk because it is short in length,” noted William Floyd School District Super-intendent Richard Hawkins. Correction of the pool size is included in the renovation project. “At this point,” LaValle said, “we are not sure if the pool will be lengthened or shortened. But the pool size will be accurate for swim meets.” LaValle said that the Brookhaven pool will close in July for two to four months to renovate the faciltiy. “Starting the repair work in the summer will have the least impact upon the swim teams and residents,” LaValle said. The cost of the renovations is estimated at $1.36 million and the town is currently seeking an independent contractor to oversee and complete the project. “We have found that hiring a professional company that has established a good track record with this sort of project is the best way to go in terms of money and time. An assured completion date will minimize any inconvenience to the public and the swim teams,” LaValle said. During construction, arrangements have been made to utilize the pool at St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue if needed. Additionally, the YMCA is honoring Brookhaven-Roe East YMCA memberships at their other pool facility, located at 155 Buckley Road in Holtsville, during the closure of the Mastic Beach complex. The YMCA did not return calls from the South Shore Press for comment, however, discussions between the school district and the town concerning the pool have been ongoing Hawkins said. “About four or five years ago, a similar offer was made to the school district,” Hawkins explained. “At that time we turned the offer down for several reasons. We were in the midst of rebuilding our schools. We still had children in portable buildings and rectifying that situation was a priority. The pool complex was offered to us in poor condition. The school district would have had to assume the responsibility of renovations. Another consideration was the cost of pool operations.” Because of antiquated filtration and heating systems the cost of operating the pool is estimated to be several hundred thousand a year. “The deal that is on the table now is certainly more attractive thanks to the efforts of John LaValle,” Hawkins said. “A long-term lease deal is a generous offer. We must still examine operational costs before acquiring the pool.” But the lease agreement between the district and the town has not been finalized Hawkins said given the New York State financial crisis. “At this point it is a balancing act,” Hawkins said. “We must be sure from the standpoint of operation costs that we could fund it successfully. Until we have a clear picture from the state in regards to financial aide we must move cautiously. If there is a choice between a pool or teacher layoffs, it is clear that the district will choose quality education.” The acquisition of the pool complex, which includes male and female locker rooms, could prove to be a stellar faciltiy within the heart of one of the largest school districts on Long Island. This fall the district broke ground for a new junior high school located on Moriches Middle Island Road in Moriches. The new school is located on land donated by the Town of Brookhaven. As part of the land donation deal between the district and the town, Floyd agreed to build, on town owned land, new athletic fields in Mastic Beach directly behind Hobart School and adjacent to the Brookhaven pool. “The location is ideal,” Hawkins said. “While the pool would not be contained within a school building, I’m sure we could come up with ingenious plans to maximize its use for students as well as for community use. It’s a deal too good to lose.” Groundbreaking for New Easport/South Manor Central High School
Years of planning and complications culminated on Friday afternoon as key members gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Eastport/South Manor Central High School to be located on Moriches-Middle-Island Road in Manorville. Rains poured down as the newly formed Eastport/South Manor CHSD choir sang the Star Spangled Banner during the opening festivities. But, while most present spoke joyously of the merger of two separate school districts, the dark sky acted as a backdrop for the dissent that prevailed throughout the communities of Eastport, Manorville and Mastic. “Weather cannot dampen our spirits,” said New York State Senator Ken LaValle. “This new school is the vision of two communities with a single goal – quality education for both school district students.” For many years, the Eastport School District has recognized burgeoning growth and realized that the one building facility on Montauk Highway would be inadequate. Likewise, South Manor School District was feeling the population crunch and has never had a facility to educate senior high school students. That population has been bused to adjoining districts on a tuition basis. The centralized high school is the first merger of its kind in the state since the 1920s and there were many unforeseen problems with its initiation prior to Friday’s ceremony, some of which have not been completely ironed out. Until the school is completed, Eastport faces interim problems. On January 8, 2002, the Eastport Board of Education will meet to discuss immediate problems that face the district due to space limitations within the small school house which has already relied on peripheral portable buildings for its elementary school population. District residents, from South Manor and Eastport will decide, in a public vote, if 388 Southport students, who have been tuitioned out to high schools in Westhampton, Shoreham and Center Moriches will have continued funding. Every three years homeowners vote to continue the tuition approval. South Manor residents have consistently, for over 20 years, approved those allocations but some wonder if the tuition approval will pass next year as Eastport residents will also be included in the vote due to the merger. If the tuition allotment is not approved, the 388 students will not be able to attend school in their former schools and will be educated at the already crowded Eastport school. If the vote is negative Eastport may be forced to resort to triple sessions and eliminate electives, full day kindergarten and sports programs. Also to be approved by voters next year is the purchase of additional portable class room units to be used until the new school is completed. Additionally, the centralized school district merger has created contract problems with the teacher’s union which has still not negotiated a current contract, resulting in poor morale within a new district with a bright future. | |
|
