Pleasantville Residents Should Reject Rushed and Ill-Advised $15M School Vote
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Jeff Howe
The Pleasantville Board of Education has put forth a massive $15 million spending proposal for a vote on Dec. 17, the week before holidays.
Much of the community knows little to nothing about it. Roughly $3.5 million is deemed essential, upgrading security issues for emergency communications and the HVAC in the Bedford Road School (BRS), along with other equipment repairs and replacement. Sounds necessary and reasonable.
The bulk of the remaining expenditure – $11.5 million – is for “upgrading” the athletic fields at the high school/middle school campus. Apparently, the board has been discussing this for over a year with a small group of residents and is putting forth the bond and associated tax increase to fund it. The recent op-ed in The Examiner by the Board of Education president did not speak to the allocation of these expenditures; 77 percent of the $15 million to be spent is for athletic facilities, replacements and large expansions. This is not talked about enough.
Most Pleasantville residents know nothing about this, or have just recently heard of the upcoming vote. The lack of outreach and communication to the community for such a large undertaking is hard to understand. Not only will the existing high school main field and track be replaced along with turf and playground replacement at BRS, but the added funds will be used to add two new turf fields at the high school, one adjacent to the existing turf field (the grassy area between the existing field and tennis courts), and the other will replace the grass field behind the high school.
Additionally, the funds will be used to install lights on the main high school field with 75-foot stadium light poles and undefined parameters for when those fields will be lit. (Seventy-five-foot poles are equivalent to a five- to six-story building.) The board has no answer regarding usage, including how many nights the lights will be used, what time they will be in use, the noise and environmental issues and impact, how much the electricity would cost and what the ongoing replacement and upkeep costs would be. The board’s answer is let’s pass the bond and figure that all out afterward.
This is an enormous project, with huge implications for the village, not only the adjacent neighbors that will be impacted on a nightly (and forever) basis, but for Pleasantville taxpayers footing the bill for a little-discussed, huge project that impacts the entire community.
There is a simple answer for this: Vote No. The necessary safety and HVAC measures seem to need attention quickly. If we need to fund replacement of the existing fields and track that are near the end of their useful life, let’s set up a vote for that.
As far as new stadium lights and additional turf fields, all of which we have successfully lived without, even when school enrollment was significantly higher than it is today, much further study and discussion is needed. If through robust discussions and debate we come to an agreement that updates and expansion makes sense and are a worthy investment, then the board should put forth a proper vote.
Additionally, alternative funding sources and sponsorships need to be explored, as many school districts have successfully done.
Forcing a rushed vote on this project, where many residents are uninformed, is inappropriate for our district. If this entire project were funded without taxpayer increases (fully donated), I would still suggest voting against it.
The board has not engaged the community in a proper and timely discussion necessary for a massive expenditure and expansion this large. And inevitably, the $15 million cost will only climb, along with replacement costs of turf that wears out, as the existing synthetic fields already have.
Vote No on Dec. 17, and then we can begin a more inclusive and fulsome discussion on what expenditures best suit all of Pleasantville.
Jeff Howe is a Pleasantville resident.
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