Carol P. Bartold, Senior Reporter

Sep. 5, 2018:  The Bronxville School begins its 2018-2019 academic year with enrollment holding steady at approximately 1,660 students and steady progress on construction and renovation projects, all buoyed by a strong financial finish to the 2017-2018 academic year.

The Bronxville Board of Education, at its August 28 meeting, heard a progress report from Superintendent Dr. Roy Montesano on all phases of capital projects at the school.

The elementary school playground, a Phase I project, is complete and has received its final inspection. The playground will be ready for students at the opening of the school year. Principal Trisha Murray is planning an October 10 official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The district received final approval for other Phase I projects, installation of the remaining three pumps for the flood mitigation project, Chambers Field and Track refurbishment, and ceiling tile replacement in play rooms. Montesano noted that a purchase order has been issued for the pump, and installation is expected to take place in November.

Chambers Field and the surrounding track will be taken offline in October after homecoming weekend, and, if all goes well, will be ready for the spring sports season. Montesano said that the district hopes to put the project out to bid on Thursday, September 6, with a view to securing board approval of a bid at its September 24 meeting. Athletic Director Karen Peterson stated that the district has requested field space from Eastchester, similar to what was done when Hayes Field was unavailable during its reconstruction. Hayes Field, which can accommodate all spring sports, will be available during Chambers Field work. “The big issue,” she noted, “will be the track.”

Montesano stated that construction documents for Phase II projects, which comprise the bulk of the work on the bond referendum approved by voters in March, should be approximately 75 percent complete by mid-September. Plans include a new guidance suite, an expanded health facility, more third-floor learning space, a cafeteria reconfiguration that would increase capacity by 180 students, renovation of the entry to the high school, and the repurposing of a boiler room.

Montesano added that the district will ask for a third-party review of design and construction documents in an effort to expedite the approval process with the New York State Education Department. “We have a goal of starting work by summer 2019” he said. “We originally talked about beginning a year later, so if we can get approval, we’ll gain a year on our construction.”

Pending a legal review, the HVAC portion of the library renovation project could become part of Phase II. If so, Montesano projected that work will be done during summer 2019.

Dan Carlin, assistant superintendent for business, thanked The Bronxville School Foundation for renovating third- and fourth-floor special education classrooms. “This was important,” he said, “because those areas were not going to be touched by the capital project.”

Carlin also reported that the district ended fiscal 2017-2018 with an approximate $1.1million surplus, attributable to New York State Education Department State Aid, special education tuition, and a small surplus on budgeted expenditures. “This is more than enough to cover our $500 thousand appropriation to offset the 2018-2019 tax levy,” he said. “We will also fund approximately $500 thousand to the Restricted for Capital Projects Fund.”

Pictured here: The Bronxville School.

Photo by A. Warner