Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last week clarified what “essential” means for contractors, halting most forms of construction through at least April 19 — school construction included. Districts in Springs, Bridgehampton, and Sag Harbor are bumping up against this order.
Derek Knatz, vice president of Park East Construction, which is managing the Springs School construction project, said that “if it’s deemed a safety hazard,” school districts are “able to button up the projects, protect the projects, secure the projects.” But they cannot advance the work, he said.
Robert Hauser, the Bridgehampton School superintendent, said on Tuesday that his district’s attorney had advised him that the major school expansion and renovation project does not count as a health and safety matter. The only action Bridgehampton’s contractors took was to cut the electrical power to the lighting system that the crews had been using. The district has said it hoped to open the expanded portion in September.
“We were making great progress because of the weather; the winter was mild, and everything was going in our favor,” Mr. Hauser said. “We were probably on target to reach that goal . . . but I’m holding my breath a little bit that three weeks is not so bad. We’ve come such a long way and should be able to make it up, but if we go beyond the 19th, we’re really pushing it.”
Springs School officials said the next phase of its expansion project wasn’t slated to break ground until late June, so their timeline is not yet affected.
“The legal landscape, understandably, seems to change from day to day — whether it be related to construction, child care, education, et cetera,” said Jeff Nichols, the interim superintendent of the Sag Harbor School District, where work on the Sag Harbor Learning Center at the former Stella Maris School had been nearing completion. “I would imagine the latest construction restrictions will have an impact on [the learning center] . . . and we intend to follow all applicable laws.”