The Seaford Board of Education voted unanimously late Thursday night to postpone its scheduled Oct. 16 referendum vote on the proposed sale of the former Seaford Avenue School property.
The postponement of the referendum was made at the request of developer BK at Seaford, LLC, who wants to amend the contract for the 5.66 acre property to address community concerns raised at an informational meeting last week about a planned 55 and older condominium development on the site. Chris Venator, attorney for the Seaford school board, said the amended contract will specify that the proposed 112-unit two-bedroom units in the “Seasons at Seaford” complex contain at least one person age 55 and older, have no school-aged children and all be for sale with no rentals permitted.
Venator said that the revised contract with BK at Seaford, LLC, a subsidiary of The Engel Burman Group, should be ready to approve at the scheduled Oct. 18 school board meeting and a new referendum vote can be set at that time. He said to allow proper time for required legal notices, a new referendum vote may have to be held off until January.
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The decision to amend the contract for the Seaford Avenue School property comes on the heels of The Engel Burman Group representative Stephen Krieger saying at the Oct. 4 informational meeting that a covenant will be signed with the Town of Hempstead stipulating that all units are 55 and older. Many residents at the forum however expressed concerns about this language not being included in the original contract.
“The community wants to see it in writing,” said Seaford school board member Bruce Kahn during a discussion at Thursday night’s meeting on why the amended contract was needed.
If voter approval is granted, the "Seasons at Seaford” would consist of 112 two-bedroom units that would be sold in the 350,000-$400,000 range and first offered to Seaford School District residents and their parents. The facility would also include a central clubhouse with a fitness center and outdoor pool. The Engel Burman Group has recently built two similar “golden age” residential communities in East Meadow.
The 1939-built Seaford Avenue School closed in 1981 and was leased to Five Towns College from 1982-1992 and Nassau BOCES from 1992-2010. District officials said the sale of the property to BK at Seaford is approved, an estimated $100,000 in annual maintenance costs would be saved.
Phil Franco, president of the Seaford Harbor Civic Association, said during the public comments portion of Thursday's meeting that he appreciates the postponent of the referendum to amend the contract, but urged the school board to consider trying to reduce the number of condo units because of traffic fears for the area.
"[75 units] seems to be the consensus of what the community would accept," said Franco, who emphasized that he was speaking on behalf of his civic group. "The Seaford Harbor Civic Association would like nothing more than to offer support for this project."
The Oct. 18 board of education meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Seaford Manor School.
chris and i and many others have an issue wiht annyomous posters NOt for the reasons you have clearly and understandbly stated but for the simple reasons they mask their identity to post to "strike and hide" I am sure you can pick them out , but in your instance and the instanc eof many others who are in the same situation and again i fully understand why the comments are always appreciated and welcome even though we may disagree at times. Hey if i had kids in school and i wrote they way i do on here, i dont think i would post my name either they would prbably be ostrized by the same stepford crew. i understand !
SMM- chris for all his pontificating is looking at this from the old school fiscal model that in order to continue on the path we are with no other resources available we need an influx of cash otherwise we the taxpayers will be paying . @chris- SMM is looking at this form the perspective people who dont live here really shouldnt be putting their two cents in SO often and so Vehemently.It is kind of getting rather grating .. we appreciate the input but not the repetiveness of it. NO reason for anyone to get TESTY - just relax and understand that this is a hotly contested issue , we all have opinions even if some dont live here their opinons are welcome. Its a news item anyone can comment on the news.
whatever the reason it is YOUR reason and i respect it & you for caring enough about your community to raise your voice here..which is a LOT more thensome people who sit back and DO and SAY nothing and do their stepford brainless bobble head imititation when the all might wizards speak! ... nuff said. hey wait can we get bobble heads made in the image of a green viking and sell them perhaps we can off set our dire financial straits! lmao
Note to LDV - the Star Wars, or Star Trek, whatever was the most irrelevant thing on Patch until this one, regardless from where it was pulled. What I would really like to see is a demonstration by anyone opposed to this sale of what the damages, monetary or otherwise would be to A) The community as a whole and B) Those closely proximate to its location. Please try to avoid the-sky-is-falling generality scenarios and be objective. Citing specific cases of how similar communities have been damaged by similar projects would be persuasive.
Now I think it's more than an opinion; I believe your big business bloomers are peeking through pal.. LOLOL.
AND do we want really want the NEXT generation of home buyers to scratch their heads and say the WTF were they thinking?
There have always been dumpsters and garbage trucks at the school, all buildings including single family houses require trash pickup and there are adequate laws regulating the process. I don't particularly find the design very appealing, nor is it an eyesore in the making, but these are topics for the town to deal with, not the school district. Change will happen - that is guaranteed. I haven't seen a viable alternative proposed that would happen anytime soon and produce similar revenue for the district. In my mind I'd rather see the existing building, or most of it, recycled into condos, coops, or (gasp!) rental apartments with the front lawn enclosed by fencing, walls, and shrubbery. That area could also hold a pool and a couple of small parking lots. The immediate rear yard could be landscaped with the field area used for additional housing units that would be necessary for the financial success of the developer. No, I don't have a problem with people getting a proper return on their investments. What's the alternative?
It was sad to see men I've known (while only in passing, but still) for years, as my kids did it all here, push the contract through hells bells knowing full well the community opposition was not truly reflected in the mere 600 or so "surveys" that were returned, even though it was said at the meeting 65% of those were against it! Imagine if we all had a chance to participate? Or would it have mattered? The 350-400 people that attended the 10/4 meeting were clearly for the most part not supportive. Still, hells bells. Amazing. Consider it. For the taxpayer it provides minimal return. They are giving the keys to EB. Selling out the neighborhood. Haven't pursued any other options. To a company that has/had some community problems in it's past. Well- thanks to all I met this evening ( you know who you are).
many of us are saying NO to the sale ...doesn't mean we have to list our reasons. Although some great reasons have already been posted! I DO firmly feel what happens with the Ave. School WILL impact EVERYONE in Seaford NO MATTER what part of Seaford you live in. (& yes...many in Wantagh as well). Going back to the blue postcards and any other so called notices of meetings / date changes / auto calls /school sale and so on. While some said it was "complaining"... I didn't write to complain. It was meant as a Statement. I'm VERY concerned as many have been excluded from what's going on! On behalf of someone directly near the Ave School...NOTHING was sent...only the letter stuck in fence a few weekends ago & it wasn't from the school. I'm N of Sunrise and again NOTHING was mailed to me from the school UNTIL the blue postcard!!! ( odd timing?) As *shocking* as this may sound...not everyone gets *the newspaper* or local cable news. Some might not have kids in school = No notices sent home in backpacks!! Not everyone can attend regular meetings for whatever reason. But we STILL have a right to know what's really going on in Seaford! I'm thankful to Patch & all of you who post here...its certainly eye opening! We've been in Seaford before SOB was built & care what happens here! It's such a small town and I feel the Ave school & the Land IS EVERYONES Backyard!!!
My reasons are this: I think the board for all their seemingly good intentions are being led to this decision based on the financials of the District. Where we are and where we are going. However there is too much conflicting information from ALL parties involved the Board, Mr Conboy, Mr Venetor/Ingerman Smith, Engel Burman& Bk@Seaford and all the cast and characters on the peripheral. that in and of itself gives pause for concern. Me, I look at the bottom line - this goes to more then the Condo issue itself it goes to VALUE- What VALUE does this bring to the community - not just the quick shot in the arm 5 mil(btw it isnt 5 mil its more like 4.9-4.5 mil) which we more then likely wont receive till 2014-2015, or the supposed additonal 600k annual tax revenue. this goes to the PHILOSOPHY of this district and its residents. . We Seaford have a history of falling prey to the "for the kids" and "TRUST US" that is thrown about every time there is a money issue. From Bonds to Budgets - TRUST US
A football field / Music wing = NO Harbor Access Rd/,no technology improvements 8.3% increase on a CONTIGENCY budget with CUTs to education $500-$800 Avg TAx increases this year alone w/ a 2% tax cap Depleted Reserves= Higher interest rates Technology (ooops WHAT technology) 27 kids in kindergarten classes with a revolving door of UNQUALIFIED AIDs rather then hiring 1 additional teacher. NO MS sports 2 years running and probably none in the future either. The infamous teachers contract and the new one on the horizon. Harbor School Access STILL NOT ADDRESSED A SD who cant seem to notify this community consistently and thoroughly You want us to TRUST that this is BEST for our community? I think NOT - Pls Vote NO.
The lack of accountability, for one, I find absolutely appalling! We face a 2 % budget cap and contract negotiations are imminent. Everyone gets that. We are absolutely trying to make the school district "the best it can be" by addressing the elephant in the room. This ill-begotten referendum is, at BEST, a knee-jerk reaction to budget constraints by a panicked BOE. "Closed door" meetings, however, led to a series of stupid decisions that will prove it's undoing: It's unreasonable to hand the "keys to the town" to an unscrupulous developer and expect intelligent residents to just roll over. The "new" board, that apparently had "nothing" to do with these fatal missteps, can only look on now as it crashes and burns:Ironically, in their HASTE to push this through, the BOE in May signed away ALL rights going forward to EB. The BOE was anxious to "get it done" at all costs (to us) and EB exploited this weakness at their peril: GREED will ultimately prove their undoing.Gotta love justice! Now they will reap what they have sewn: EB marginalized the Board, EB shrewdly put "lipstick" on the pig, but should the referendum pass, the contract STILL allows EB to run rough-shod over us, just as they are now "owning" the BOE in this process. Residents can ONLY take back their POWER by voting "NO!" After that, we can work with the BOE to find a MUTUALLY beneficial solution to our budget woes.