Private school moves out of Glen Cove

A private school's relocation is leaving Glen Cove with a prominent vacant building that had yielded $400,000 a year in rent for nearly a decade.

But the short-term loss of Solomon Schechter middle/high school, as of July 1, presents long-term potential, note city officials.

"It's a challenge and an opportunity," Mayor Ralph Suozzi said of finding new use for the grand brick building on Cedar Swamp Road, which was a public elementary school from 1929 until 1992.

The city is now considering a new educational tenant -- talks continue with a school for the autistic -- or consolidating its community services there. It also hasn't ruled out a sale.

"Everything's on the table," Suozzi said. "But this is very important to the community. It's not going to be knocked down for a supermarket."

Solomon Schechter rented the facility from Glen Cove School District in 1998 and continued there after the district sold it to the city for $2.5 million in 2002. Recently, the Conservative Jewish school of about 260 students became dissatisfied with its lease, as well as the school's location along the North Shore.

It will move to Cross Street School in Williston Park, owned by the Mineola public school district. That five-year lease calls for an average of $265,000-a-year in rent over the first three years.

"We're really relocating because of a better financial deal, and because we found a more centralized location," said Lev Herrnson, Solomon Schechter's head of school. "The City of Glen Cove has been a great home. We leave with bittersweet feelings."

Officials let Solomon Schechter out of its 20-year lease less than halfway through. Suozzi said Glen Cove received payment on several outstanding bills upon last year's agreement, offsetting the anticipated loss in 2011 rent.

Still, Reggie Spinello, a former mayoral candidate, said at this week's council meeting that the school's exit was "a pretty tough pill to swallow when the city's looking for more revenue."

The building, known as "Coles School" from its original use, was deemed a possible sale property in Glen Cove's recent deficit-reduction plan sent to the state comptroller.

If that occurs, Suozzi said the city may be in better shape than when a prior administration made the purchase, borrowing to do so. The school has since replaced the building's boiler system and fully wired it for the Internet.

"We're getting a property back that's much more marketable," he said. "There's an opportunity to make up the loss."