New car chargers at POB Public Library

each crack in all 10 school buildings since you don’t need to go see the other — we know cracked walls need to be fixed,” he said.

The Walt Whitman and Berry Hill Elementary Schools were noted as “tight from an enrollment perspective” as Dr. Rogers said there will be additional space needed at each. Additionally there are problems with ADA accessibility due to the topography of Berry Hill Elementary’s campus.

The Family and Consumer Science classrooms at both Syosset High School and South Woods Middle School were examined, as were gymnasiums and locker rooms, bathrooms, technology and robotics classrooms, the auxiliary gym at South Woods and student courtyard at SHS, among others at the main Syosset CSD campus. Dr. Rogers said the constraints on gymnasium space at SHS were discussed during the board’s tour, and the student courtyard is in need of attention.

Safety & learning environment

At H.B. Thompson Middle School the board reviewed the security vestibule, electrical upgrades, canopies, the track and field area and various sitework performed. HBT Middle School’s security vestibule was noted as too small and in need of expansion. Dr. Rogers told the board, “we think the function of the building could be improved by making the vestibule a more welcoming way for visitors to come to the building while also making it more safe to have a larger space in between the doors.”

The technology classrooms have had to accommodate growing enrollment, as has the robotics classroom. With much of the work on bathrooms completed within the Phase II districtwide facilities upgrades, there is still more work to be done to address aging bathrooms at the schools.

“The locker rooms and bathrooms are essentially in the same conditions they have been in for many decades,” he shared.

Most of Syosset’s school facilities were originally built in the 1950s and are all approaching the 70-year mark simultaneously. To compound facilities issues, the superintendent explained that Syosset CSD went through a period where bare minimum investments in facilities were occurring, so recent Boards of Education have needed to invest in facilities that were overlooked in prior years.

Dr. Rogers reported that many school districts are now co-locating the mental health and social services supports for students in a single location. The bullet point included for Syosset High School facilities noted this as a “guidance center” and during the tour, the board discussed this concept for the school.

Another of the facilities’ goals discussed in the January workshop meeting noted “anticipation and planning for facilities to support future growth and innovation.”

Across all the Syosset district’s school buildings, expanding and renovating cafeterias and kitchen spaces to better serve as 21st Century in-school settings were outlined.

“They are built from another time when they weren’t a priority and obviously they serve as a socialization space. There’s an opportunity to prepare food on-site as opposed to bringing the food in from our secondary schools, which will be an advantage if it’s possible to do,” Dr. Rogers told the Board of Education.

The final discussion point was investing in district facilities “as an asset to be improved, rather than overhead to be minimized.”

Coinciding with a discussion item brought up during the board’s June and July 6 meetings, the school board toured the bus egress (exit) area at Syosset High School during the July 13 facilities tour.

From page 1 these zero-emissions vehicles,” Legislator Drucker said. “I applaud Library Board Chairperson Marilyn Leibowitz and Library Director Maryann Ferro for bringing this environmentally friendly project to fruition.”

Get Results! Place an ad in our Classifieds for reasonable rates and prompt results. Call our Garden City office at 294-8900 for more information. Home Delivery Subscribe & Save! www.gcnews.com • 294-8900 Litmor Publishing's Community Newspapers The Garden City News - Mid-Island Times & Levittown Times - Bethpage Newsgram - Syosset Advance - Jericho-Syosset News Journal Your Community, Your Newspaper Get the scoop on what’s happening in your community every week!

August 4, 2023