Bay Shore schools acquire armory building

The Bay Shore school district has received a significant addition to its facilities thanks to recently signed state legislation that allowed it to acquire the Bay Shore Armory.

As part of the deal, school officials would renovate the vacant building, likely by using about $1 million in federal stimulus funds. The district may move its prekindergarten services there, schools superintendent Peter Dion said.

"We are very pleased," he said. "I think this is an excellent opportunity for the Bay Shore school district and our community."

School officials worked with the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs and the Office of General Services to acquire the 4-acre site at 70 Brentwood Rd. Last August, area officials announced a consolidation of National Guard and Reserve units that would close several armories, including the one in Bay Shore.

Legislation to allow the state to transfer the abandoned building to the district was sponsored by Assemb. Phil Ramos (D-Central Islip) and Sen. Owen Johnson (R-West Babylon) in June. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the bill on July 20.

"This gives our students a head start in life and does it in a way that is progressive and doesn't overburden the taxpayer," Ramos said. "At a time when our schools are receiving draconian cuts in funding, it's important to find creative ways to be able to meet the needs of our students."

Renovations for the building, which has been analyzed and preliminarily cleared for safety concerns such as the presence of lead, will most likely be funded by the federal government, Ramos' office said. The district has preliminary approval to use about $1 million in stimulus money to refurbish the building, Dion said.

The final decision about the use of the building must be made by the Bay Shore school board, Dion said. It's unclear when a decision might be made, when the building might be opened, or how many students and staff members would be housed there, he said.

Dion added, however, that school officials are hoping to use the armory eventually to set up a universal prekindergarten to be open to any district student.

The district now uses a lottery and waiting list if there are more applications for children than there are slots in the program.