Head of the Harbor approves expansion for St. James private school

Head of the Harbor Village has approved plans for a St. James private school to expand as it looks to build larger classrooms and a new STEAM center.

The school plans to demolish a structure on its campus and replace it with a new one that will house a STEAM center for science, technology, engineering, arts and math programs. The new structure — an extension of the main building — will also include middle school classrooms, as well as an art studio, a science lab, music room, a new library and a small gathering space.

The village planning board approved Harbor Country Day School's expansion after a monthslong review during its Oct. 1 meeting. The school is also adding a new bus loop.

For years, school officials say they have struggled with the building's small size and configuration. Classroom space is limited, Andy Sperling, head of school for Harbor Country Day School, has said. At times, the school has had to fit up to three classes in different parts of the building's former library and basement area. School officials have struggled to find space for guidance counselors and administrators.

Sperling said the school still needs to secure building permits to move forward with the project, which is expected to cost about $6 million. The estimate includes the cost of demolishing the extension and building the new structure, as well as other upgrades.

The expansion is expected to be funded through private donations, administrators have said. The school is currently going through "a comprehensive bidding process" to hire a general contractor to lead the project, Sperling said. Work is expected to start in the fall, he added.

"This is a tenuous and exciting time," Sperling said in a statement. "I will always respect and honor the process as well as our generous donors." 

Harbor Country Day School opened in 1958 on the grounds of the former Tulip Knoll estate. The property is the former home of William A. Minott, heir to the Goodyear Rubber Manufacturing Co.

Harlan Fischer, the village's planning board chairman, said the school adequately addressed questions about traffic and safety on Three Sisters Road. Some residents raised concerns during village board meetings over the summer about the potential for traffic problems along that road.

"Everything that they said that they were going to do, and everything our consultants asked them to do, they’re doing," Fischer said.