The school board meeting began at 7:35 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. The State of the District presentation and several academic issues are well covered by Patch.com, linked here. I will try to mention other issues that arose at the meeting.
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Seaford Middle School was offered to the county's Office of Emergency Management as a shelter during Irene. However, the county and the Red Cross did not call for its use, perhaps for lack of air-conditioning (which Wantagh High School gym apparently has).
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The status of real estate taxes on the Sunrise Highway Bast Chevrolet property were explained. It is the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Authority which brokered a deal by which (if my notes are correct) the new owner will pay taxes or use PILOTs for three years at the level that Bast was paying, then gradually over the next seven years increase to market-based assessment. (I recognize that this is a bare-bones account of the issue. One must first learn what Payments in Lieu of Taxes are and how they are used. An important point is that school districts to not valuate property. The County does. School districts do not broker a deal with property owners. The Town does that, through the IDA.) If I understood correctly, the Bast property is among the three top commercial properties within the Seaford School District.
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The not-yet-signed contract with Greiner-Maltz regarding the Seaford Avenue school was discussed. The school attorney explained the status of various items that may be in the contract. From my view, the goal is to sell the property. I admire the successful construction of homes built near Beach Street and Walters Avenue in Wantagh (1993 construction on the site of a closed elementary school), and I do not know the range of neighborhood objections that arose there during planning. Greiner-Maltz will attempt to find a buyer for the Seaford Avenue school.
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Candidates to replace the resigned trustee have been interviewed, and the replacement will be selected soon. Three trustees were present at the 9.1.2011 meeting.
