School Bond Referendum Tuesday, Feb 9, High School Gym from 6 am to 9 pm.

As you know the Riverhead School District will conduct a referendum on Tuesday, February 9 which asks the residents to vote their approval or disapproval for the issuance of a $123 million dollar bond to pay for construction, renovation, repairs or infrastructure "renewal" at the various school facilities within the Riverhead Central School District.

While the bond seemed to focus on new classrooms for the Middle School and renovation of rooms at the Roanoke School to accommodate administrators who were to move out of trailers or mobile facilities, the "Renewal Now" program actually involves a lot more.

The brochure issued by the District in January actually spells out a lot more than was advertised.   Every school is involved in a staggering and extraordinary plan for the construction of new classrooms or renovations.  The expected cost at Riley is over $14 million dollars, Riverhead Middle School: $24 million and High School: $23.5 million, Pulaski: over $11 million and so much more.  The renovation of Roanoke to house the Administrators is more than $2.7 million dollars alone.

No one can deny that much of what the Board would like to accomplish with this bond is long overdue and perhaps we should be looking back at the reasons some things were not constructed, repaired or renovated a long time ago or at least accomplished on a master plan or a pay-as-you go program.  Someone should be answering for that lack of vision or foresight...but this is now.

The reality is that Riverhead is not a high income Township and each day we receive reports of the weak economy from all levels of government; Federal, State and local.  The taxes are already unbearable and the filing of property tax grievances is likely to reach record levels.  Riverhead residents are already footing the bills for the ill fated landfill, the Taj Mahal firehouse on Roanoke and the most recent bond to cover the Water District improvements.

We ask the Board of Education to go back to the drawing board, find a way to set a priority for these projects and begin implementing the most important ones first, perhaps on a five or even ten year plan.

It is our recommendation, therefore, that you vote: NO on the referendum.


Texas Country Reporter
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