At community forums this month, the Montauk School Board made the case for a revised renovation bond that residents will vote on Dec. 9.
At just over $34.87 million, new 20-year bond would cost the average Montauk homeowner with a $1.5 million house about $31 a month, or $379 a year. It’s nearly 10 percent leaner than the bond that failed by just 43 votes last May. The board was able to trim costs by updating the construction plans.
“Realistically, this school building is the only institution in Montauk that only serves the year-round residents,” said Joshua Odom, the Montauk School superintendent and principal. “Everything else is shared. This serves just Montauk, and for me, that feels like a really worthwhile investment.”
The new proposal rebuilds the school greenhouse in its current location instead of adding it onto a new gymnasium. It eliminates plans for two new classrooms in the pre-K wing, combines some half-classrooms, and scales back the library expansion. It still includes a new gym and science room, converts the current gymnasium/auditorium into a multipurpose space that would serve as a lunchroom and music classroom, and eliminates three and a half portable classrooms that were built more than 50 years ago.
“They were expected to have a 20-to-30-year life span, so they don’t owe us a dollar at this point,” Mr. Odom said. “We’ve gotten our money’s worth out of those, but they’re decaying. We have issues with water seeping up through the foundation of them, pooling in classrooms.”
Daisy Rayner, an eighth-grader learning Spanish in one of the portables, laughed at how bad they are. “This section is horrible. There are bugs everywhere. The other rooms have an actual door.” Her teacher, Angelika Cruz, finds it challenging to teach alongside the gym. “You can’t block out the noise,” Ms. Cruz said.
Montauk School celebrates its centennial in 2027 and has not had major
upgrades for more than 25 years. New York State has given the school’s infrastructure an unsatisfactory rating, a major concern for the administration.
“I’m completely in support of getting this done,” said Helene Fallon, a Montauk resident. “It should’ve been done a long time ago.”
In December, voters will see two items on the ballot. The second, using $2.9 million in capital savings, will have no additional taxpayer impact. It’s money the district has saved, but needs voter approval to spend. That money will correct immediate infrastructure issues such as HVAC upgrades, boiler leaks, CO2 detectors, and A.D.A. accessibility.
Mr. Odom was quick to praise his staff for working in such a challenging environment. “It’s an amazing learning community and an incredible place to work despite all of the challenges with portables or classrooms where heating and air-conditioning may be spotty at times. Our teachers do an amazing job of creating warm and inviting learning environments for their kids, where they’re able to thrive.”
One of the most controversial items in the more than $34 million bond referendum is the Fisher house, a residence at 26 South Dewitt Place intended for the district’s superintendent. Mr. Odom currently can’t live there because
it has fallen into disrepair, but will move in if it becomes habitable. The board proposes rebuilding the house as both a residence and storage space for school supplies at a cost of $1.8 million. That represents about $1.55 per month for the average taxpayer. The house was the sole focus of a community meeting on Nov. 12, when several taxpayers took issue with the storage plan.
“It doesn’t fly,” said Dave Winter, who lives across the street. “The house is a very important thing, but I have a major issue with it. I don’t want to see a storage center across from my home.”
Ann Peterson was the secretary for former superintendent Robert Fisher, whose wife donated the house to the Montauk School District when she died. Ms. Peterson was clear it was not intended to be a storage facility. “They had no children. Montauk School was their family. They loved their home. I don’t know that they ever thought it would become a storage bin,” Ms. Peterson said. “I will be thrilled to see a new house there and I’d be thrilled to see the superintendent live there.”
Nick Finazzo, a school board member who presented the new proposal at the community meeting, said the storage plans were preliminary, and after hearing the community opposition, finding a different place for district supplies would be at the top of his list.
Some taxpayers questioned whether the superintendent should be given a house at all. Mr. Finazzo pointed out that the Amagansett School also provides a residence for its superintendent, while East Hampton’s superintendent gets a vehicle. Offering housing is one of the ways the district can continue to attract top candidates for the position in the future.
“Having a great leader is really important. It improves the education the students get. It makes our teachers better, but on top of that, the superintendent really needs to be a business person,” Mr. Finazzo said. “I think it’s important to remember that the superintendent, and in our case, the superintendent and principal of our school, is basically the C.E.O. of our company responsible for a more than $20 million budget every year, as well as for nurturing students.”
Mr. Odom believes the Montauk School renovations also address future needs. “We could just repair it and we would spend a lot of money just to repair it or we can prepare it and get ahead of the issues that we’re facing. We can address the really dire needs of the school building and also prepare ourselves to be successful for the next 20 years into the future.”
The Montauk School Board will hold a final meeting on the renovation project on Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. at the school. The bond referendum vote is Dec. 9 from 2 to 8 p.m. in the school gym.
Correction: Due to an editing error, the print version of this story misstated the dollar amount for the second item on the December ballot in Montauk. It focuses on using $2.9 million in capital savings to address infrastructure needs. The print version inadvertently omitted the word "million" after the dollar amount.