Seaford School Board Considering Separate Vote for Access Road

The Seaford Board of Education is considering having a referendum vote in the next four months to get approval to move ahead with the long-planned access road project.

Funds for the access road, aimed at alleviating major congestion that occurs around the Seaford Harbor School during arrival and dismissal time, will come from left over contingency funds from a $21.5 million capital improvements bond approved on Dec. 4, 2007. However in early November the district's bond counsel Martin Geiger issued a letter saying a separate referendum is for the project, which has been in the works since the 1970's, since it was not included in the 2007 proposition.

At the Nov. 18 Board of Education meeting at Seaford Manor School district officials and trustees discussed whether holding the referendum vote in February or March separate from the regular May budget vote would enhance the chances of approving the proposition. In addition to the budget vote scheduled for May 17 there could also be potential referendums to have increased bus transportation and on the former Seaford Avenue School property along with having two school board trustee seats up for grabs. With the potential of an already crowded May 17 ballot, Seaford Superintendent Brian Conboy said during the Nov. 18 meeting that holding a specific referendum for the access road would cause far less confusion for voters.

"May is going to be a potentially complicated election time," said Conboy.

Each year the Seaford School District budgets to hold two elections but has not had to do so since the 2007/08 school year when the capital improvements bond was approved. It costs about $6,000 to hold an election at the district's two polling sites, and Seaford Harbor School, according to Conboy. If a separate referendum were to be held for the Seaford Harbor School access road project there would need to be at least a 45 day notice from when the school board authorized the vote.

Conboy emphasized during the meeting that communicating to the public that approving the referendum will not involve extra funding is essential to assure passage. "The residents have to know we're not asking for additional, we're just asking to use what you already passed in 2007," said Conboy.

The planned access road would stretch roughly 100 yards north of Seaford Harbor School and connect Bayview Street and Iona Street. This would enable cars and buses to access the school from Iona Street and alleviate the current congestion that exists on Bayview Street, according to district officials. The project is estimated to cost around $550,000 but district officials are hoping there will be competitive bidding from contractors for the project to help bring costs down.

A major reason the Seaford Harbor School access road project was not included in the original 2007 bond was that the district did not have jurisdiction over the Nassau County-owned land that the project would be built on. Seaford district officials are now in the final stages of acquiring a little over an acre of land that is being provided by Nassau County surrounding the property. A required State Environmental Quality Review Act study of the property where the access road would be built is expected to be finalized within the next month.