News

SWR board will vote on $1.6M athletic facilities/tech proposition tonight

FILE PHOTO | The track at Shoreham-Wading River High School could get an upgrade if a measure is approved tonight and a referendum is later passed by voters.

A proposition this fall to spend more than $1.6 million on new track facilities and upgraded electronic equipment for the Shoreham-Wading River school district will go before the school board for approval at tonight’s meeting.

The proposal would include new resurfacing of the high school’s track facility, which student athletes and school officials said has fallen into disrepair. The track has faded paint, cracks, and uneven surfaces due to previous short-term fixes, making it a potential safety hazard, officials said.

A group of students from the school’s track team said in a presentation passed along to the board this spring the school may not be allowed to hold meets in the future due to the poor condition of the track. This would require the school to bus the team to all away meets, according to the presentation.

The proposed upgrades would also include new computers and Internet systems across the district.

According to the resolution before the board, the district’s existing technology is “outdated, out-of-warranty, not compatible with new state-mandated assessment requirements, and is currently (or soon will be) unsupportable.”

The total project is expected to cost $1,642,000, and would use prior year state aid and reserve funds to keep school taxes at the same rate, according to the resolution.

If approved, the proposition will go before the public in a vote on Oct. 2.

The public meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Shoreham-Wading River High School library.