Education

Voting Guide: Riverhead school bond vote set for today

COURTESY PHOTO | An artist's rendering of what Riverhead High School would look like if voters were to approve a $78.5 million bond for infrastructure repairs and upgrades.

Polls opened at 6 a.m. today for taxpayers to decide the fate of a $78.3 million plan for infrastructure upgrades and improvements at Riverhead schools, also known as proposition one.

Voters will also be asked to consider proposition two, a $7 million plan for a new gymnasium at the high school. Proposition two is contingent on the passage of proposition one.

The bond would be paid for with taxpayer money over 22 years.

The approval of proposition one would fund roof and ventilation repairs at district schools, parking lot reconfigurations, new science classrooms at the high school and new kitchens at Aquebogue Elementary, Roanoke Avenue Elementary and Pulaski Street School, among other upgrades.

The plan calls for new building construction at all district schools except Phillips Avenue Elementary School.  The total breakdown of the plan is as follows: $3.8 million for upgrades at Aquebogue Elementary School; $4 million for upgrades at Phillips Avenue Elementary School; $5.7 million for upgrades at Riley Avenue Elementary School; $7.8 million for upgrades at Roanoke Avenue Elementary School; $7.9 million for upgrades at Pulaski Street School; $15.4 million for upgrades at Riverhead Middle School; $32.1 million for upgrades at Riverhead High School; and $1.6 million for upgrades at the main campus site.

Voting will be held until 9 p.m. at Riverhead High School, Phillips Avenue Elementary, Aquebogue Elementary and Riley Avenue Elementary, depending on residents’ voting district. Don’t know where to vote? Call 369-6708 or 369-6711.

The district will use about $3 million in repair reserve funds to offset the cost of proposition one. School officials estimate the project would be eligible for about $26 million to $29 million in state aid.

A homeowner whose home is valued at $280,000 can expect to pay an additional $40.09 in 2014 if the bond passes. That number will increase until $213.25 in 2017 and then decrease after 2033.

The bond would be paid off in 2036.

That same homeowner could expect to pay an additional $66.12 from 2014 until 2034 if proposition two was also passed.

The plan is down about $45 million from the $123 million plan for district improvements, which included turning the Roanoke Avenue School into an administration building, overwhelmingly rejected by voters in 2010.

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