The bond project covering various capital improvements in the Three Village Central School District is nearing its completion, according to district officials.
In October of 2008, voters in the district approved the $72.8 million bond, which was to be broken into four phases and completed by the end of 2010. According to Jeffrey Carlson, assistant superintendent for business services, the project has yet to suffer any major setbacks and has not faced any unforeseen challenges.
"The majority of the work included in the bond project will be completed by the end of the summer," Carlson said. "To date, all projects have been completed as scheduled and have come in within budget."
The project included improvements and renovations across the district, addressing many different aspects. Some of the improvements include the creation of 14 new science labs at Ward Melville High School and refurbished auditoriums, enlarged practice spaces and refurbished art rooms at Ward Melville and both Robert C. Murphy Junior High School and Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School. It also targeted athletics throughout the district, adding new tennis and multi-purpose hard courts, two synthetic turf fields, a new gymnasium, a fitness center and bleachers to Ward Melville, Murphy and Gelinas.
To date, phases one through three have been completed with phase four still in progress. According to Carlson, the only work remaining once the school year gets under way will be the auditorium work at Murphy and Gelinas (projected to be completed by December), and the kitchen renovations at both junior high schools along with the new bus loop project at Gelinas (projected to be completed next summer).
Carlson also said that they have received little to no criticism about the bond project.
"The District is extremely appreciative of the community's support of the bond and their continued support during the construction work," he said. "The students have already benefited from the updates, such as the new LGI space at the high school and the new athletic fields and spaces, which have been enjoyed by the student-athletes and spectators alike."
No one seems to disagree with Carlson about the necessity of these improvements. Philip LoPinto is a Three Village alumni who now works part-time as a piano accompanist at Gelinas. He spent much time in the old music rooms of Gelinas while he was a student there, and having seen the new music rooms as an employee, he is extremely pleased with the improvements.
"I think it's a long-awaited necessity that appears to be spectacular: large and spacious, fresh, and technologically superior to anything prior," LoPinto said. "Before the renovations, band and orchestra shared one large room, and between the old carpet, extreme crowding of students, and tiny music offices, it was readily apparent that the music wing needed a facelift into the 21st century."
