Eastchester REVIEW THE
May 20, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 21 | www.eastchesterreview.com
School budget passes, newbies take 2 board seats
MILE STONE WIN
By SARAH VARNEY Education Reporter
John Arcidiacono rushes upfield against Nyack on May 16. Arcidiacono scored three times and reached the 100-goal mark in Eastchester’s 13-2 Class B first round playoff win over the Indians. For more, see page 15. Photo/Mike Smith
Village, school district flood mitigation project to begin By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer After receiving a grant for $5.1 million from FEMA in 2012, the Bronxville Union Free School District has finally released a schedule for construction on its flood mitigation project. The work timeline for the project estimates the construction of the temporary parking lot on Meadow Avenue and the conversion of the upper elementary school lot into a construction site in May. However, most of the work is scheduled to be completed between June and October of this year. “We’re gearing up to do a lot
of work over the summer so we can avoid parking issues and problems like that,” said Dan Carlin, Bronxville school district’s assistant superintendent for business. The project, which aims to drastically reduce the amount of flooding on the Bronxville schools’ campus and its surrounding streets—Meadow Avenue, Willow Road and Midland Avenue—is scheduled in two phases. The first phase consists of installing trenchless piping which will run to a detention system beneath Hayes Field and the installation of two pumps to divert the water to the Bronx River. Hayes Field will be shut down
for the later portion of Phase I at the end of the fall sports season in 2016, and is expected to be fully functional with a new, fullsized synthetic turf field in time for fall sports in 2017. As the project—that looks to combat severe flooding in the lower lying area of the village— continues into the 2016-2017 school year, the district expects to maintain all school programs, including recess, physical education and athletics. Carlin predicted minor traffic congestion and short-term impact on the area during Phase I, but added, “If we can get the school not to flood anymore, that benefit is priceless.” Phase II, which would pro-
vide three additional pumps and a housing structure for all five pumps on Hayes Field, has not yet been scheduled. The entire project was initially estimated to cost around $6.9 million, 75 percent—$5.2 million—of which FEMA would provide. The remaining $1.7 million will be split evenly between the village of Bronxville and the school district. The project is now estimated at $11 million, with the first phase costing $8.6 million. Montesano Brothers, a New Rochelle-based construction company, was contracted for the project in March. CONTACT: corey@hoetwn.com
Voters in Eastchester cast 937 votes in favor of the $82 million 2016-2017 school budget, compared to 530 votes against it. The budget provides an increase of $1.9 million over the current budget and is based on a 1.63 percent tax levy increase. Included in the total is $2 million that will go toward replacing fuel tanks and repairing roofs and masonry at the district’s six schools. It will also enable the district to add 6.3 full-time teaching positions. But while the budget balloting ran smoothly with no surprises, the Board of Education election turned into a game of musical chairs. When the polls closed, first-time candidate Steve Projansky snagged a board seat with just three more votes than incumbent Judah Holstein. “We both counted it down to the wire,” Projansky said. He added that Holstein deserved kudos for his three years of service on the board. “I hope that at some time in the future, Judah makes it back onto the board,” Projansky added. Sally Veltidi, another first-time candidate, finished with the most votes, 1,002, of the five candidates. She was followed by incumbent Mary Messner Martin with 997 votes; interim incumbent Cheryl Smith with 885 notches; Projansky with 730 votes; and Holstein with 727 nods. According to board customs, Projansky was sworn in at the Wednesday, May 18 board meeting, after press time. The custom calls for the winning candidate with the lowest vote total to serve out the remainder of the unexpired term of any interim seat. Smith took over for John Curcio in January 2016 after he resigned, and she will now step aside and begin a full three-year
term. Curcio’s doesn’t expire until June 30, 2018. The rest of the elected and re-elected board members will be officially sworn in during a district reorganizational meeting this summer. Veltidi, 37, is single and has no children. She is currently superintendent of the town’s Parks and Recreation Department. “I’m delighted that the residents of the district showed their confidence in me,” she said. For current board President Mary Messner Martin, her reelection will enable her to continue oversight of the Eastchester High School construction project that was OK’d in October 2015. Construction is set to begin this summer. The project will focus on a 3-story addition with 12 new classrooms, nine science labs and six small group instruction spaces. Increased enrollment over the past five years has left the 1927 structure bursting at the seams, according to school district officials. When the project is completed in 2018, administrators will be able to reclaim gymnasium space surrendered to make temporary classrooms before the expansion. CONTACT: sarah@hometwn.com
At a glance $82M 2016-2017 school budget passes $2M will pay for new fuel tanks, masonry, roof repairs Eastchester High School addition project commences in June Board of Education takes on two new trustees: Projansky and Veltidi