Brewster to Vote on School Improvements

Residents in the Brewster School District will be going to the polls Friday to vote on two propositions—a $25.6 million modernization project that addresses the health, safety, and educational concerns of students at the Henry Wells Middle School, and a second proposal totaling $3,475,000 million that calls for the construction of a synthetic turf field, new bleachers, field lighting, and a number of high school infrastructure improvements.

School officials have pointed out that a $1 million grant from the C.V. Starr Foundation, plus $200,000 from the Field of Dreams Committee, will reduce the bond for the field proposal to $2.2 million.

Assistant Superintendent Tim Conway told the Courier the average homeowner in Southeast and Patterson will experience an increase in taxes of from $90-$110 a year for the modernization project, while the field construction will cost an additional $8 a year for the life of the bond.

The school district enlisted the Wells Project Team, made up of parents, teachers, students, administrators and members of the Board of Education to construct a design that addressed the need of bringing the 52-year-old middle school up to codes and standards necessary to serve today’s children.

Superintendent Dr. Jane Sandbank said the district also recognized the advantages of a turf field: “By maximizing the grant from the Starr Foundation and the three years of hard and deliberate work of the Brewster Sports Foundation, we can make the field of dreams a reality.”

Critics say that even if the school needs improvements, a tax increase during a recession might not be a wise move for Putnam, a county that already has the 10th highest property taxes in the United States. Moreover, some think that the proposals, while including some necessary improvements, go a bit far in calling for luxuries such as a press box or new scoreboard.

Plans call to eliminate a series of modular classrooms installed at the rear of the building a decade ago and construct an addition to the middle school consisting of seven science rooms, four prep rooms, one general classroom, two small group instruction rooms, new toilets for students and staff, and an elevator and stairwell connecting all three levels of the building, as well as a new cafeteria and parent dropoff lobby and the relocation of the building maintenance department.

A number of infrastructure proposals are also included in the referendum, including replacing all floor and ceiling tile except in the 2000 addition, replacing stair handrails and interior doors for classrooms and common areas, replacing old lockers, and refurbishing the seats in the school’s auditorium.

A successful vote Friday also will allow for the replacement of all insulated panel windows with special transparent glass, replacing the school’s roof, cleaning and partial repointing of the school’s exterior brick, and repairing the Wells Middle School gymnasium masonry wall.

If approved by the electorate, the school’s steam heating system will be converted to hot water; new heating and ventilation with energy recovery will be installed in classrooms, gymnasium, cafeteria, auditorium, and offices, while air conditioning will be added to the school’s computer rooms, cafeteria, library, fitness center, auditorium, main offices, and the new addition. There will be upgrades to the school’s electrical service, new controls for lighting, heating and air conditioning, and new lighting for the bathrooms and boiler room, while exhaust systems and plumbing will be replaced in the school’s kitchen.

In addition to the construction of the synthetic turf field, plans call for the installation of two bleachers containing 1,400 seats, a press box, field lighting, a scoreboard, and lacrosse netting.

Brewster Board of Education President Dr. Stephen Jambor called the opportunity to “bring the Wells building into the 21st century paramount. It is the community’s responsibility to do the best it can to give children and their teachers the tools needed to become citizens of this century.”

School Board Vice President A. Gerald Schramek described the addition to the Henry Wells School “vital to maintain the educational integrity of the Brewster School District. It is a long time in coming. We have tried the band-aid approach, but now is the time to aggressively put forth a referendum that makes sense both educationally as well as financially to residents of our district.”

Schramek also called the fields project a “great opportunity to save taxpayers money. Thanks to the Field of Dreams Committee and the C.V. Starr Foundation, the entire project will have a net cost to local taxpayers of two cents a day.”

Voting takes place tomorrow from 7am

Brewster School District Vote

Polls will be open Friday, Oct. 9, from 7am to 9pm at the

Brewster High lobby. Voters

can choose to vote YES for the

modernization plan, or NO if they oppose the plan and the tax

increase.

For more information:

www.brewsterschools.org www.brewsterfields.org (YES) www.stopthestadium.com (NO)