By Carol P. Bartold, Senior Reporter

Oct. 25, 2017: A near-100-year-old building combined with the upcoming retirement of approximately $24 million in debt has prompted the Bronxville Board of Education and the school administration to examine a bond referendum to fund its next round of capital improvements to the school.

Architects Michael McGovern, principal, and Matthew Milnamow, project architect, from LAN Associates presented a wide spectrum of projects to the board at its October 19 regular meeting.

The cost for site improvements, interior and exterior infrastructure work, and the introduction of new educational programming spaces would be $24 million, the same amount of debt incurred for the 2001 C-Wing project that will be retired in 2021.

"We are trying to fit this all into a project that won't require a tax levy increase," Milnamow said. He added that the firm prioritized projects according to cost and items requiring maintenance in the near future. The board's unanimous approval of the plan allows LAN Associates to file it with the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

NYSED will calculate the amount of building aid the district is eligible for, typically in the range of ten percent of the project cost, which would allow the district to project the tax levy needed to fund the improvements. Milnamow anticipates that the district could receive that projection in December, which would allow a February or March bond referendum.

Board vice president Jonathan Atkeson emphasized that the retirement of the C-Wing debt gives the district "an economic opportunity to address a number of infrastructure needs that have been deferred with no increase in taxes, as well as many exciting instructional opportunities that would be fantastic additions to the school's physical plant."

Replacement of Chambers Field and the track tops the list of projects. An aggressive time frame calls for its completion before the 2018-2019 school year. Atkeson pointed out that NYSED Building Aid has the potential to equal the cost of a new Chambers Field.

Site improvements also include replacement of the elementary school playground.

A three-storey addition and entrance addition on Meadow Avenue are planned to accommodate cafeteria improvements that would fill the courtyard, expand the serving area, and essentially double the size of the existing cafeteria; the addition of a faculty resource room adjacent to the cafeteria; construction of a new 1,400-square-foot health suite; restoration of the existing suite to two classrooms; and expansion of the guidance suite to include spaces appropriate for group meetings.

A new stair tower and corridor extension would provide access to classrooms planned for the second-floor area above the guidance center and a learning commons area proposed for the third floor of the addition. The 5,400-square-foot learning commons is designed to facilitate project-based learning and provide collaborative workspace and an open learning atmosphere for students.

"We're not just filling in the gaps," stated board president Jeff Rohr. "There are so many things that need to be done in our one-hundred-year-old building and this is an opportunity to do them with no tax increase."

Pictured here (L to R):  Bronxville Board of Education members Jennifer Russo, Jack Bierwirth, and Thomas Curran.

Photo by N. Bower