Bower Gains New Tenants, Long-Term Deal Appears to Loom

The closed E.W. Bower Elementary School is adding a new tenant to the building's empty classrooms: a preschool.

The Lindenhurst School Board unanimously approved a recommendation made by Superintendent Richard Nathan to enter into a two-year lease agreement with SuperKids Christian Daycare, Inc. for two classrooms at Bower.

The lease runs through August 31, 2015 with the first year's annual rent totaling $19,200 and the second year's coming to a sum of $19,776. In a question posed from an attendee, Nathan noted the rent from three tenants – the daycare, the church and a film company – was not a lot.

The daycare, according to board members, is run by the same people who also run the Living Truth Family Church, which currently occupies the auditorium of the former elementary school.

Lindenhurst School District employees helped install a new fence around a portion of the former elementary school's playground to allow the new daycare to have a small playground for their children. The work was completed by the district's union employees, according to board members, because it was on the district's property.

Donna Hochman, board president, also noted their might be a bigger deal ahead for the former elementary school, which was recently appraised at between $5.5 and 6.5 million.

"We're anticipating a long-term client," Hochman said, but said she was not allowed to give any other details on the matter.

"We have some other options we're looking at," noted Nathan soon after. "We can't talk about it though. It might mean leasing the entire building, outside the daycare center."

Nathan also said the new daycare center's contract does have a clause to terminate it in the event of a long-term tenant or buyer for the property.