A backlog in the New York State review process for school district capital projects has already caused delays in Sag Harbor and now threatens the ability of East Hampton and Springs to get new projects off the ground in a timely manner.

The New York State Education Department recently announced that the process is up to 40 to 42 weeks for engineering reviews. The state needs to sign off on projects before schools can break ground.

According to Jeanne Beattie, a spokeswoman for the Education Department, the state reviews approximately 2,000 school projects per year, all of which are completed by three engineers. Those engineers tackle issues such as fire code compliance, electrical safety, emergency lighting, public address, heating and ventilation, and plumbing.

“The engineering review is currently causing the backlog,” Ms. Beattie said in an email. “We are taking internal steps to address this, and we are also looking to increase engineering staff from the current three employees to a total of eight for long-term reduction of the backlog. We did receive additional funding in the last budget for this purpose and currently have approval to fill two engineering positions, with more expected to follow.”

In Sag Harbor, Jennifer Buscemi, the business administrator, said projects originally slated to begin this past summer have been pushed down the road until such time that the state is able to complete its review. As of Sept. 8, the last time she checked the status of Sag Harbor’s project application, there were still 90 applications ahead of it.

The capital project, which is to include, among other things, a turf field, an updated auditorium, a bus parking lot, and reconfiguration of the shop and kitchen at Pierson Middle and High School, was approved by voters by referendum in November 2013.

“When the vote passed, the review time was about 20 weeks. I believe by the time we submitted, it had climbed to 26 to 28 weeks,” Ms. Buscemi said in an email. She added her reaction: “Very frustrating!”

The Springs School District is facing the possibility that it could soon submit a project to the New York State Education Department for an architectural and engineering review. The district is coping with a shortage of space for students. Its facilities committee on Monday recommended adding modular or portable classrooms by the start of the next school year, reported elsewhere in The Star this week. That kind of work still requires approval from the state.

“For us right now, we still have a little bit of a way to go, so it’s kind of hard to predict that far into the future because that backlog could be a temporary backlog,” Liz Mendelman, the Springs School Board president, said recently. “Hopefully, by the time we do our project, the state will be adequately staffed and resourced.”

The East Hampton School District is mulling an energy performance project that would add solar panels to all three of its buildings, a natural gas co-generator system at the high school, and 12 other energy-related improvements. These, too, would require state approval.

“That’s the cold reality. It’s somewhere around a year that they’ll pick it up and review it. . . . This could be a two-and-a-half-year process,” said Danny Haffel, the executive director of energy solutions for the Long Island operation of Johnson Controls Inc., who presented the energy proposal to the East Hampton School Board on Tuesday.

Rich Burns, East Hampton’s superintendent, said it’s a lengthy process. The district only recently received approval for a security-related project — the details of which were not released due to its sensitive nature — that caused it to have to delay the project a whole year, from the summer of 2015 to the summer of 2016, because the work cannot be completed while students are in school.

“Would we want it to be a more timely process? Sure,” Mr. Burns said. “As superintendents, we all complain to the state. . . . We take care of what we can take care of. These are things that are really out of our control.”

The East Hampton School District is looking for community members who are interested in teaching classes for adults in its continuing education program.

Classes can be on any topic or area of expertise, including but not limited to subjects such as foreign languages, computer technology, acting, singing, and sewing.

The continuing education program runs Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between Oct. 6 and Dec. 10. Class times may fall in the 6-9 p.m. time frame. Potential teachers may propose classes of varying length on one or more days, and may charge a fee for people to take those classes.

The East Hampton School District will list the continuing education classes on its website. For more information or to submit a proposal for a class, teachers can email Debbie Mansir, the programs coordinator, at dmansir@ ehufsd.org.

The Amagansett School is the latest local district to begin paying a consultant for help with the hefty record-keeping associated with the federal Affordable Care Act.

At the heart of the issue is the law’s requirement that businesses, schools, and other entities with 50 or more employees go through a complex reporting process to make sure the rules are being followed. Many school officials have said it is an enormous task — one that incurs monetary penalties if not completed properly.

Some local school districts are just on the cusp of that 50-employee threshold (a number often complicated by the substitute teacher system), and have acknowledged they need help.

On Sept. 8, the Amagansett School Board hired the Seneca Consulting Group. The consultants will be paid an annual fee of $11,000 if it is determined the district has 50 or more employees, or $5,000 if it is found that there are fewer than 50.

“The Affordable Care Act has created many, many additional responsibilities and the onus is on districts and businesses,” Eleanor Tritt, the superintendent, said during the board’s Sept. 8 meeting. “It’s very technical.”

Tom Lamorgese, a recently appointed part-time member of Amagansett’s administration, commented that “we have to be on the ball with this reporting, which is really a nightmare.”

The Bridgehampton School District worked with the Seneca Consulting Group last year, paying the Hauppauge firm $11,000. On July 1, Bridgehampton’s school board extended its contract with Seneca to this year, in the amount of $13,000.

Some larger schools have also turned to outside help. The East Hampton School District has also hired Seneca, first approving a contract for several months during the 2014-15 school year (the figure was not immediately available), and then extending it to the 2015-16 school year at a rate of $10,000.

The Sag Harbor School District completes its Affordable Care Act reporting requirements in-house, according to its business administrator, Jennifer Buscemi. Springs, Wainscott, Montauk, and Sagaponack districts also do not use outside services.

Albert Barbuzza, Seneca’s business development director, said yesterday that the firm is working with over 70 Long Island school districts, as well as several upstate. He agreed with school administrators who say the Affordable Care Act is extremely complicated.

“It’s a confusing thing,” Mr. Barbuzza said. “Even the attorneys and some law firms disagree about different meanings.”

Close-Up on Trucks

Kids and trucks simply go together, and for the kids who love them, Big Truck Day at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton will offer a close-up look. Emergency response vehicles, construction trucks, and farming machines will be on display on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Admission is $10, free for museum members.

Amagansett School Fair

Children can enjoy crafts, storytelling, and games during the Amagansett School Fair hosted by the PTA from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday on the school lawn. There will be a bake sale, an auction, a raffle, and even a licensed therapy dog, Jazzy, who the adults say loves to hear children read to her. Representatives of the Amagansett Library will be doing library card sign-ups. The rain date for the free event is Sunday.

Nature Data, Memory Jars

Teens today, biologists tomorrow. The South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton needs teens who are interested in biology and the environment to help collect important data about local freshwater and saltwater habitats. Students will visit a North Sea beach on Saturday and learn how to use various scientific tools to take measurements and make observations. Crystal Possehl, a SoFo nature educator, will lead the nature survey, which starts at 10 a.m.

Also at SoFo on Saturday, children of all ages have been invited to make beach memory jars. You can bring your own shells and memories from the summer or take a walk along the beach to collect shells and other souvenirs from the sea. There will also be an educational component to the activity: Nicole Cummings, the workshop leader, will talk about the types of marine life that live in or make the shells. A materials fee of $5 will be collected, and the entire family will be welcomed. The start time is 10 a.m.

Books and Bulbs

For kids who find book clubs appealing but would prefer to choose their own books to read rather than receive an assignment, the East Hampton Library’s Any Book Book Club might be the answer. It meets on Wednesdays from 3 to 4 p.m., when members get together to talk about the books they are reading independently.

Also at the library, a representative of the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons will show children in kindergarten through third grade how to plant and care for amaryllis bulbs. The organization will provide the bulbs, flowerpots, and soil for the activity, which will happen on Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m.

Who Doesn’t Love Snoopy?

The Montauk Library will hold a library card sign-up event on Tuesday from 2 to 3 p.m. featuring a beloved cartoon character, Snoopy. Kids can hear Snoopy stories, do take-home crafts, and enter a drawing to win a Snoopy stuffed animal. There will also be a giant library card on hand for kids to pose with for pictures.

The Springs School District has received approval from the New York State Education Department to bring on a retired school official as its interim business administrator and treasurer.

Carl O. Fraser, an administrator who recently retired after more than 20 years as an assistant superintendent for finance, transportation, and facilities management in several districts, will be able to work through June, having received a waiver from regulations governing retirees, which will allow him to earn more than $30,000 in a given calendar year. Prior to his appointment, on Aug. 24, Mr. Fraser had been a consultant on special projects for the district.

“He’s going to really do an excellent job for the district,” said John J. Finello, the Springs superintendent, who worked with Mr. Fraser in the East Islip School District. “He brings a different perspective to the job that will benefit the Springs students, parents, and taxpayers.”

Mr. Fraser will earn $750 per day. As of Monday,  Mr. Fraser’s first official day at Springs, there were 175 school days left in the year, meaning he may earn up to $131,250. He also receives pension benefits from the state’s Teachers Retirement System, but will not receive paid vacation or sick days, medical benefits, or retirement contributions from Springs.

Mr. Fraser succeeds Tom Primiano, who left this month to become an assistant superintendent in the Westbury School District. Mr. Primiano, who spent three years with Springs, most recently earned an annual salary of $90,000. According to an announcement from the district, it had received more than 110 applications for the position. Seven applicants were interviewed and “no suitable candidates resulted from these interviews.”

Guild Hall’s JDT Lab, which sponsors free theater programs, has invited local students to an interactive theater event next week dealing with issues such as cyber-bullying and the objectification of women.

The show, called “Theater of the Oppressed,” is an introduction to what is known as forum theater. It will take place on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The East Hampton, Bridgehampton, Sag Harbor, and Westhampton Beach School Districts have been asked to send student groups.

The  style of show, created by the Brazilian actor and activist Augusto Boal, is “a way of utilizing theater to change the world,” according to Kasia Klimiuk, an actress and graduate student who is coordinating the event with several of her peers at the City University of New York’s School of Professional Studies.

“It’s often called ‘a rehearsal for revolution,’ because it’s a way to practice changing your reality,” Ms. Klimiuk said. “You can bring that practice into your life. It’s an opportunity for the audience to not just watch a show. . . . They actually stand up and enter the theater piece.”

The Sag Harbor School Board hired an architectural firm at its meeting Monday night to do a “facility analysis” of the Stella Maris Regional School building. BBS Architects will receive $11,500 for the work, an extension of a contract it had been awarded on Aug. 31 for work on capital projects later this year.

The Stella Maris architectural study was among several noteworthy developments during the meeting, which included a decision to allow “gavel-to-gavel” videotaping of board meetings, an announcement that there would be a bonfire as part of this year’s homecoming, and an announcement of a $625,000 federal grant for efforts to prevent substance abuse among students.

Katy Graves, Sag Harbor’s superintendent, declined to comment before the board went into executive session about Stella Maris, citing only that the matter to be discussed was real estate. It was the third executive session since July 1 on real estate, which can take place legally behind closed doors if it involves specific financial matters. Stella Maris, a closed Catholic School in the village, has been listed for sale at $3.5 million.

By a unanimous vote, the board agreed to reverse last year’s policy against videotaping the public comment portions of the board’s meetings. Some board members previously had been concerned that the district could be held liable for defamatory public comments. However, during the board’s Aug. 31 meeting, Chris Tice, the board’s vice president, reported having received reliable opinion that was not the case.

During his report on Pierson Middle and High School, Jeff Nichols, the principal, announced that a decision to allow a bonfire at homecoming came out of a meeting last Thursday in which the new executive board of the Parent Teacher Student Association sought community opinion about homecoming and recruited volunteers. Pierson’s homecoming is set for Oct. 9 and 10, and will include a typical parade and skits, along with an in-school kickoff on the afternoon of Oct. 9, and several athletic contests.

 Ms. Graves made the announcement of a five-year  $625,000 grant from HUGS, the Help, Understanding, and Group Support agency, to the Sag Harbor Community Coalition. The money will help the coalition unite policymakers and practitioners in health, public safety, and education on the prevention of substance abuse and work with religious and community organizations.

It will “help shore up our children and our families to encourage our children not to use alcohol and other drugs,” Ms. Graves said, calling the grant “really exciting.” She noted that an attempt to win the grant failed last year but was successful this time because of the hard work of everyone involved.

In other business, the board tabled setting up several committees, citing the need for more parents and community members to get involved. The board is hoping to fill committees related to athletics, communications, facilities, and student health and wellness, among others. More information can be found on the school’s website at sagharborschools.org.

An event for people from 16 to 32 will be held at the Montauk Salt Cave on Monday at 6:30 p.m. Coordinated by the Family Service League, the idea for a community recreational event of a practical and therapeutic nature came out of a meeting of the East End Peer Network in Montauk over the summer.

Future activities may include music and art sessions, instruction in how to do your own oil change, and more. The Montauk Salt Cave is at 552 West Lake Drive.

On Friday morning, nearly 700 students at John M. Marshall Elementary School in East Hampton walked to the grassy field next to the school carrying symbols of peace — pinwheels they had made during classes last week. Class by class, they lined up in the shape of a giant peace sign in recognition of International Peace Day, singing songs and holding their pinwheels high. Friday’s celebration marked the eighth year the school has recognized International Peace Day.

“Every day, we are exposed to either television images or newspaper articles that give importance to conflict,” said Beth Doyle, the school’s principal. “It is our hope that through the Pinwheels for Peace project, we can make a statement about our feelings about peace and tolerance. In today’s world, peace needs to be more than just a word.”

She quoted “The Peace Book” by Todd Parr, who wrote about ways peace can be represented. Just to name a few of Mr. Parr’s examples, Ms. Doyle said peace can be achieved by making new friends, by sharing a meal, by keeping the streets clean, by learning another language, and by “being different, feeling good about yourself, and helping others.”

Chess at CMEE

Aspiring chess players 4 to 9 and those already familiar with the game might want to set aside Thursday afternoons for Chess @ CMEE, an eight-week course at the Children’s Museum of the East End offered with Chess NYC. The first session is this afternoon from 4 to 5. The program costs $75 but is free for members of the museum. Advance registration has been requested.

Montauk Field Day

Given the forecast as of press time, Montauk Field Day, scheduled for Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Montauk County Park, could well be rescheduled to its rain date, Oct. 18. If it’s not, Sunday will bring an afternoon of free fun and games hosted by Montauk Youth and the Concerned Citizens of Montauk. Among the day’s attractions are a bounce house, an obstacle course, food to purchase, a pie toss, sack races, and a tug-of-war.

To the Rescue

Kids can learn about the marine mammal and sea turtle rescue work of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the Amagansett Library. The presentation will include pictures and artifacts.

On Sunday at 2 p.m. the library has invited kids to create a quilt square for a collaborative community quilt that is being made to commemorate the Amagansett Library’s 100th anniversary next year.

Two programs for preschoolers ages 3 and 4 resume this week: a story time on Mondays at 2:15 p.m. and Tot Hop, a game, movement, music, and rhyme program on Wednesdays at 2:15 p.m. These are in addition to the library’s ongoing Rhyme Time for toddlers up to 36 months on Mondays at 10:15 a.m., a First Story Time for tots on Tuesdays at the same time, and Shake, Rattle, and Roll on Fridays at 10 a.m.

From Movies to Movement

At the East Hampton Library, this week brings movies for kids and teens, stories and crafts for kids 4 and up, and a music and movement program for ages 1 to 3.

This afternoon’s family movie at 4:30 p.m. will be “Finding Nemo.” Disney’s “Planes” will be shown next Thursday at the same time. On Tuesdays at 5:30 starting this week, the library will resume its weekly Books on Screen program for teens, who will watch films based on young-adult books and then discuss how the movie and film were similar and how they differed.

Music With Miss Lori will have the little ones bopping tomorrow from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. On Tuesday at 4 p.m., kids 4 and up can listen to a story about cupcakes and then do a cupcake craft.

Music Together

The fall semester of Music Together by the Dunes, a family music and movement program for children from birth to age 5, begins this week with classes offered locally in East Hampton and Bridgehampton. Music Together is a “research-based music immersion” program that includes “singing, dancing, instrument play, parent education, rhythm patterns, tonal patterns, and vocal play for children and the adults who love them,” according to Ina Ferrara, the director of Music Together by the Dunes.

The program includes workshop activities and music, a CD, a DVD, and parent materials to continue the fun at home. The East Hampton session, held at Dancehampton on Lumber Lane, began yesterday and will continue on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. The Bridgehampton session will begin tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Children’s Museum of the East End. The cost for each is $235 plus a $15 registration fee for new families. Missed classes can be made up at other locations or in a subsequent semester. Parents can register online at mtbythedunes.com or by calling Ms. Ferrara at 631-680-1392.