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Scarsdale Schools Seek Qualified Volunteers For Capital Projects

SCARSDALE, N.Y. – The Scarsdale Board of Education is seeking local residents with certain skill sets to assist them as they embark on several endeavors to improve the district in the coming years.

The Scarsdale Board of Education is seeking qualified individuals to assist them on a series of capital projects that will improve the school through the next five years.

The Scarsdale Board of Education is seeking qualified individuals to assist them on a series of capital projects that will improve the school through the next five years.

Photo Credit: File

According to new Assistant Superintendent for Business Stuart Mattey - who takes over for former administrator Linda Purvis following her retirement after more than two decades in Scarsdale – the Board is seeking three representatives from the community with an expertise in contracting to help a Construction Committee oversee several capital projects that were approved last year; and up to a dozen volunteers who will have the opportunity to help shape the future as part of a district-wide Steering Committee.

Last December, voters in Scarsdale approved an $18.1 million school bond referendum that will fund several capital projects, including a roof replacement at Quaker Ridge Elementary School and technology upgrades district-wide that began this summer. Other projects include improvements at Edgewood Elementary, Heathcote Elementary with the eventual installation of a new Learning Commons and Designer-Maker lab at the high school.

Mattey estimates that the Construction Committee will “only need to meet a few times in the fall of 2015 to review the estimates and plans” of the project as they progress. However, once the state approves the project and construction begins, “the time commitment will increase to approximately bi-weekly.”

The Committee will be tasked with reviewing construction drawings, making cost estimates, reviewing bid results, evaluating construction logistics and looking over any necessary modifications to the architectural plan.

The district-wide Steering Committee - which will consist of local residents, Board members, district administrators, teachers and students – is going to “examine the needs and recommend priorities” for work that needs to be done on the aging infrastructure as they continue to age.

While the committee is being formed now, the plans are for potential capital construction programs that would begin in 2018, as the district anticipates their debt service will drop by millions of dollars, allowing for larger projects without the fear of long-term debt.

The Steering Committee will meet monthly, where they will form a final report that will be presented to the Board of Education near the conclusion of the next academic year.

“The districts buildings are a constant work in progress,” Mattey noted. “Just as residents must address the major maintenance issues presented by aging homes, the district must do the same with its buildings, most of which are at least 60 years old, with some nearing a century.”

Those interested in volunteering their services to the district as part of either committee should email Assistant Superintendent for Business Stuart Mattey at smattey@scarsdaleschools.org by Wednesday, Sept. 2 with a note explaining their qualifications and interest in participating.

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