W. Babylon to start rebuilding burned school

Billed as a new beginning for South Bay Elementary School, dozens of parents, students and staff attended a groundbreaking ceremony last night outside the building that had been destroyed by fire in February.

The new school is expected to be ready for students by September 2011.

The Board of Education, the superintendent and South Bay Principal JoAnn Scott welcomed students and members of the community to the ceremony at 6 p.m., which featured South Bay students singing the school song.

"This indeed is a beautiful, beautiful night for the South Bay family," said West Babylon Superintendent Anthony Cacciola. The school's 300 students are using classrooms at Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church. The cost of rebuilding and the estimated $25,000-per-month rent for the classrooms will be paid for by the district's insurance policy; no taxpayer money is involved, school officials said. The size and scope of the new school will remain the same, but it will be brand new inside, Cacciola said.

Fourth-grade student Marisa Colloca is looking forward to it.

"It's going to be great," said Marisa, 9.

The district says it is not clear exactly how much it will cost to rebuild the K-5 school.

Gary Alexander, director of marketing for the company rebuilding the school, Belfor Property Restoration, said he does not have an exact estimate but the cost will be in the "millions."

The school will be ready by next September, he said.

"We will have it done - better than new," he said.

A steel roof is to replace the wood roof. Fire officials have said that the 1950s-era wood-frame school's building materials aided the fire's spread on Feb. 18.

The blaze entered the roof structure of wood planks and joists and took off from there, they said.

The Babylon fire marshal's report confirmed that the fire was accidental and started in plastic bags stuffed with combustible painting materials left in a janitor's hallway by a contractor working on the gym floor.