By Carol P. Bartold, Senior Reporter

Nov. 22, 2017:  An early February or mid-March bond referendum vote is one of the first objectives in realizing the Bronxville Free Union School District’s proposed capital project. District Superintendent Dr. Roy Montesano presented details of the project to the Bronxville Board of Education at its November 16 meeting.

Montesano and his leadership team believe that the retirement in 2020-2021 of approximately $24 million of debt incurred for C Wing construction, current low interest rates, and the availability of New York State Education Department (NYSED) Building Aid make now a favorable time to pursue the capital project.

“We have the goal of making this tax neutral so we don’t have to raise taxes in doing a project of this scale,” Montesano said.

Assuming a mid-March 2018 bond vote, the project’s design phase would take place through mid-November, at which time the district would submit the plans to NYSED. The current NYSED backlog pushes the earliest expected approval and issuance of permits to August of 2019. At that point, the district would put the project out to bid and plan for construction to begin in October and proceed for the next 12 to 16 months. Completion could be achieved by October of 2020.

The total projected cost of the proposed project stands at approximately $24.7 million for major work planned in three areas:

•  $9.5 million in program improvements
•  $5.0 million in infrastructure improvements
•  $3.7 million in site improvements

Also built into the total project cost are $3 million in contingency and escalation costs and $3.5 million in soft costs, such as architectural and engineering fees, financing and legal fees, and pre- and post-construction expenses. According to Montesano, the built-in soft costs would help protect the district should costs increase or bids come in higher than expected.

Program Improvements

“We have connected a lot of the program improvements to the Bronxville Promise and what we believe here at The Bronxville School,” Montesano noted.

An expanded cafeteria, guidance department, and health suite are three of the most-needed program improvements.

The existing cafeteria can accommodate 227 students, which often means that elementary school students must eat in the multipurpose room and that serving lines are sometimes pushed into the gym. Montesano said that cafeteria use directly impacts the scheduling of classes, especially in the middle school, which must schedule classes according to when the cafeteria is available. “It really limits any kind of program flexibility,” he said. Expanding the cafeteria by an additional 3,000 square feet to allow upwards of 400 students to use it would free the multipurpose room for other uses.

The proposed capital project seeks to double the size of the health suite to include private examination and triage areas. The existing undersized facility saw 9,573 student visits during the 2016-2017 school year.

The guidance department, displaced after the 2007 flood, has occupied its “temporary” quarters for ten years. “We know it’s an important part of our program,” Montesano said. “We know how important college acceptances are and what a guidance department can mean to the entire school.”

Plans call for the existing 900-square-foot guidance suite to expand to 2,100 square feet and include a conference room, a college-career center, and dedicated space for guidance counseling.

Based on trends in enrollment, Dr. Montesano recommended that the district not pursue adding two additional classrooms as part of the planned three-story Meadow Avenue addition. Recent enrollment figures suggest that the district might experience a decrease in enrollment over the next few years.

A redesigned high school entrance and lobby space, which includes collaboration and gathering spaces for the students, is part of the planned program improvements, as are flexible, innovative learning spaces where students can work independently or in groups on research and projects. Under the project, the existing boiler room would be converted to an engineering design center.

Infrastructure Improvements

Areas of roof replacement; replacement of original steel windows; replacement of the 1960s-era D Wing curtain wall; steel lintel repair and replacement, removal of the boiler chimney, and various masonry, parapet, and façade repairs; and restoration of the front entry are projects proposed for the school building’s exterior.

Interior infrastructure improvements include flooring replacement on the second and third floors, renovating the third-floor corridor, removing the gymnasium bulkhead, and installing air conditioning in certain areas of the building.

Site Improvements

The proposed capital project includes installation of the three remaining pumps for the flood mitigation project. “We’d like to get all five pumps operational to protect our building as best as possible,” Montesano stated. Also part of the plan are the replacement of Chambers Field and its surrounding track, as well as replacing the elementary school playground’s safety surface.

Pictured here (L to R):  Jeffrey Rohr, president of the Bronxville Board of Education, Roy Montesano, superintendent of the Bronxville schools, and Michael Finley, trustee, at the November 16 board of trustees meeting.

Photo by A. Warner