The Masera Steering Committee held its first meeting this past Wednesday at the Beach Street Middle School. Twelve of the thirteen members were present in addition to a handful of community members, including Trustee Thomas Compitello, seated in the audience. The meeting was led by Kathleen Blackburn Ed.D. and included Superintendent Burns who provided clarity on a number of topics during the 3 hour session.
A few of the many topics that were discussed include the following:
- The District estimates the cost of renovating the building at $6MM while the demolition of the building would be approximately $1MM and is normally the responsibility of the buyer if the property is sold. Any building or field renovations would not be aidable by NYS as the building is currently not being used for education.
- The District has been using the building to store older desks and other furniture as a result of the pandemic and some of the storage had been impacted by the moisture levels in the building and was required to be disposed of.
- An understanding of the January 2021 voter turnout may assist the Committee in evaluating what options would be more acceptable to the community. Information provided by the District would be based on voter addresses and not show how an individual voted.
- One member felt that the outcome of the January 2021 vote precluded a similar housing option being reconsidered.
- The possibility of a trade school was raised although one member felt that this was a timely and expansive initiative. It was also mentioned that a trade school would ultimately result in competing w/ BOCES.
- The current cost of carrying the building, approximately $33,000 annually mainly due to utilities, is relatively small and thus doesn’t require a sense of urgency to rush into a decision although it is understood that the building will continue to fall into disrepair and any renovations and repairs are subject to inflation.
- One member mentioned the option of having the building sponsored by a company, National Grid was cited in the example, where it would make a donation that could be used to renovate the building and in turn allow the donor use of the building as a possible training site.
- The District confirmed that all of its educational needs are addressed in the current spaces provided.
- The West Islip Soccer Club uses Masara in addition to other District properties where many go unused during their permitted days and times. Superintendent Burns shared that the BOE’s long standing position has been not to charge community organizations for use of the fields or facilities unless the district incurs an incremental cost such as providing safety or custodial services for an event.
- By the end of the meeting the Committee reached a consensus on prioritizing the criteria that will be used as boundaries to select possible options for the site as well as identifying the risk(s) associated with each.
The next steps are for the 32 member Advisory Committee to take a tour of the building for a Saturday in April while the Steering Committee is tentatively scheduled to meet virtually in May. Minutes for this and all Committee meetings will be posted to the District's website.
