Lindenhurst school district asks voters to approve $27M in bonds

The Lindenhurst school district on Tuesday will hold a public referendum on $27 million in new bonds that the district said will not raise taxes due to retiring debt.

The funds would be used on repairs to the infrastructure of all 11 district buildings: six elementary schools, the middle school and high school, the administration building and two former schools now rented out or used for other purposes.

In a statement, Superintendent Dan Giordano said the list of repairs is “the result of more than a year of planning by the district’s facilities committee,” which consists of administration and board of education members, teachers and community members.

One of those community members, John Lisi, said the initial list of fixes totaled more than $100 million.

“We all wished that we could do it all, but we couldn’t,” he said. A “wish list” became a “must do-priority list” totaling $60 million, he said, which was then further whittled down.

Taxes will not increase if voters approve the bonds because the district will be retiring $21.7 million in bonds that were taken out between 2001 and 2007.

The principal and interest payments on those retired bonds will be replaced by the principal and interest payments from the new bonds, resulting in no tax increase for residents, district officials said.

The work is a combination of addressing aspects of buildings that have exceeded their life span or warranty, and those that have fallen into disrepair.

At Harding Avenue and the middle school, for instance, officials said the 1980s-era windows are being replaced because the panels have rusted, resulting in leaks.

Among the pricier work to be done: electrical systems replaced at Albany Avenue, Daniel Street, Harding Avenue, West Gates Avenue and William Rall schools; entire roofs replaced at Albany Avenue, Alleghany Avenue, West Gates Avenue, William Rall and Kellum schools and the McKenna administration building; and boiler replacement at Alleghany Avenue, the Bower school building, and the middle and high schools.

Some of the improvements, such as the boiler replacements, are expected to give the district future savings by using newer and more efficient systems, district officials said. The work is expected to be done over multiple years in order to minimize disruption.

Voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Albany Avenue, Daniel Street, Harding Avenue and William Rall elementary schools and Lindenhurst Middle School.

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.