REMINDER to vote

[Admin]

The Packard Property

The vote will take place on June 29, 2009 from 1 pm to 9 pm at the Plainedge High School gymnasium. All district residents, registered to vote are eligible to vote on the Packard proposal.


Your town taxes have already paid for this. This will NOT cost you any additional tax money. If it's not built here it will be built somewhere else!

[patriot2415]

PLEASE READ !!!!!!

June 28, 2009

Dear Plainedge School District Residents,

On Saturday, I received a copy of a flyer from a group called “Plainedge Residents for Fiscal Responsibility” and would like to correct the misinformation and clarify the issues that are presented in the publication.

• The proposition for Monday includes the building of the Athletic Facility and Community Center to accommodate games and practices of our district athletic teams that are being displaced as a result of the demolition of the Packard building, including basketball, volleyball, wrestling and cheerleading. When not in use for district purposes, the building will be open to other groups.

• Our high school weight room is currently located in our auxiliary gym. The weight room that is being added to the basement in the high school will be used by our high school athletic teams, as well as students in our physical education classes, approximately 1,100 students. The relocation of the weight room will also allow us to open our auxiliary gym for our overcrowded physical education classes and provide a facility for our varsity and junior varsity wrestling teams during the wrestling season.

• The Board decided to add the community room to allow more space for community activities, including PTA, girl scouts and boy scouts, senior citizen clubs, etc.

• The use of the facility for resident groups will be governed by our Board Policy #1500, Public Use of School Facilities.
o The policy outlines the groups that may be granted permits to use the facility.
“To ensure that district facilities are preserved for the benefit of the greater district community, only community based groups and organizations (that is, groups which are located within the geographic area covered by the district), whose participants are composed of at least 50% of district residents, may be granted access to district facilities.”
o The policy also identifies the one instance in which we allow a variance to this rule as follows:
“A variance may be requested for limited tournament play that does not meet the 50% participation rule.”
o It also protects the district from liability with the following statement about outside organizations.
“Use of district facilities will only be permitted where the organization provides the district timely evidence of adequate insurance coverage ($1,000,000 minimum) to save the district harmless from all liability, property damage, personal injuries and/or medical expenses.”

At the June Board of Education meeting, I was asked if a group of people could come into the facility to play cards. I responded that the use of the facility would be covered by our Board Policy and that the group would have to be organized and carry the requisite insurance, so a group of people playing cards would not be permitted. If a group is comprised of 50% residents and has the insurance coverage, we would allow the group to use the facility.

• The $4,680,000 cost of construction includes both the new athletic facility and community center and the weight room, leaving $820,000 for the capital reserve.

• One of my goals as Superintendent of Schools has been to put the district on a more secure financial footing, by continuing to increase our reserves to stabilize the tax levy and protect the taxpayer from substantial increases due to major unanticipated expenses. If this proposition passes, we will begin to fund a much needed capital reserve, which will allow us to cover capital expenses, approved by the community, without borrowing money and/or increasing the budget.

• We are working with our architects to ensure that the new facility is energy efficient and cost-effective. The expense of operating the building will be far less than what we pay to run Packard and, at this time, we have no intention of adding custodial or security personnel to staff the building.

I hope this clarifies our intentions regarding the proposition for Monday.

Thank you for your attention.


Chris P’Simer
Superintendent of Schools

[Go Plainedge!]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

The Packard Renovation vote passed!!!!!!!

1285 yes
363 no.


FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!