Voters OK 1 of 2 Riverhead school bonds

Residents in the Riverhead school district last night approved one bond proposal but rejected another, voting to spend $78.3 million to renovate and expand every building in the district but deciding not to spend $7 million to build a new high school gym.

The capital improvement proposal passed 2,330 to 2,096 and the gymnasium upgrade proposal went down 2,570 to 1,760, said Superintendent Nancy Carney.

"We're actually very, very thrilled and thankful to the voters," she said after the votes were counted. "We had great voter participation. It's really exciting."

In the weeks before the vote, school officials said they had learned two important lessons after a $123 million bond issue was defeated by a 2-1 ratio last February.

The first was to cut $40 million out of the bond, reducing the work to what would be needed to get the buildings in shape. The last major renovation was done 40 years ago, and some schools have not been upgraded in 70 years. Some lack handicapped accessibility, and most need major repair work on their roofs, upgraded heating systems and new windows.

The district also abandoned its earlier plan to turn an elementary school into an administration building, which would have forced thousands of students to move from one building to another -- some twice in two years.

There was some opposition, but no organized effort as was the case last year. Several hand-lettered signs popped up reading "please vote no."

Robert Brown, 71, who has no children in the district, came to the Phillips Avenue School to vote in favor of the bond.

The most important reason to vote for the bond, he said, is what's not in it. "It's a $40 million difference," he said.

Steve Cutney, who lives in the Red Creek area of Hampton Bays, opposed the bond, saying the district should have kept up with repairs over the years rather than asking current residents to pay for the work.

The 20-year bonds will be sold in stages as the construction work is phased in. The owner of a typical house worth $280,000 would see a tax increase of $40.09 in 2014, rising to $213.25 a year from 2017 to 2033, and then dropping until the bonds are completely paid off.