At its May meeting, the Roslyn School District Board of Education determined that both roof removal and replacement projects at several district schools and an auditorium upgrade plan for Roslyn High School all fall within regulations set by New York State environmental standards.

The project has now gone to Albany, where officials with the New York State Department of Education are reviewing its details. Once the state approves the project, then the school district can go ahead with contracting bids. However, the process in Albany, Roslyn officials said, will take at least, "several months" to be completed. The Department of Education has other projects to review, and they may also ask for modifications to the Roslyn plan.

The district plans extensive roof replacement at six of its schools: East Hills Elementary, Harbor Hills Elementary, Heights Elementary, Roslyn Middle School, and Roslyn High School.

In addition, the district seeks similar roof replacement for the Roslyn Maintenance Building. The district also plans a comprehensive "refurbishment and upgrade" of the existing auditorium at Roslyn High School.

The series of resolutions approved at the May 18 meeting stated that "after review of the actions proposed" at the various schools, along with "the opinion provided by BJLJ Engineers and Architects," the board has determined that both roof replacement and auditorium upgrade are "pursuant [to] regulations of the State Environmental Quality Review Act, and will...have no significant adverse impact on the environment."

Despite all the attention that has gone into the ongoing embezzlement scandal, proposed school budgets, highly competitive board of trustee elections, and the impending search for both a permanent superintendent and high school principal, the state of school district buildings has remained an ongoing concern.

Recently, at the request of the Roslyn School District Board of Education, BJLJ Engineers, a Mineola-based firm conducted a comprehensive building survey of each school in the district.

The firm has identified up to $13 million in needed repair costs for both interior and exterior renovations on all district buildings. At the least, the report claims that $11 million in repair costs are needed to bring the district up to date with state safety codes.

In every school that was inspected, roof replacement emerged as a major cost in the firm's report. For instance, at Harbor Hills Elementary School, total renovation cost estimates were listed at $2,917,500. The estimated cost for roof replacement was listed as $664,000.

At Heights Elementary School, the renovation costs estimates reached $2,214,350, with roof replacement numbers totaling $460,000.

In addition, renovation costs at East Hills Elementary School were estimated at $3,358,200. Of that total, roof replacement was estimated at $505,000.

At the Roslyn Middle School, BJLJ engineers estimated the renovation costs at $3,952,850. Roof replacement estimates were listed as $474,700.

Finally, at Roslyn High School, renovation costs were estimated at $9,160,550. There, roof replacement numbers were $1,568,500, with ceiling replacement listed at $497,500.

In addition to roof replacement, the report claimed that renovation work needed to be completed on a variety of concerns, including window replacement, asphalt/concrete pavement, ceiling replacement, boiler replacement, floor finishes, plus work on gymnasiums, tennis courts, and running tracks.

The report also listed estimated renovation costs for Building Blocks, the Administration Building, and the Maintenance Building. Estimated repair costs at Building Blocks totaled $547,000, with only $25,000 for roof replacement. At the Administration Building, the costs were estimated at $919,200, while repair costs at the Maintenance Building were listed at $589,100.

BJLJ conducted its report by interviewing district staff and building personnel about the conditions at each building, and how they related to such aspects as operational and maintenance difficulties, appearance, functionality, comfort, ventilation, safety, and acoustics, among others.

Engineers and architects from BJLJ also conducted their own walking tours and inspections of the buildings, rating them as they related to architecture, structural integrity, electrical systems, plumbing systems, mechanical systems, and fire safety.

Renovation priorities were listed in terms of New York State safety codes, infrastructure priority, infrastructure pending, and improvements.

Buildings in the Roslyn School District range in age from those recently constructed to those that are over 100 years old. Obviously, the latter had much to do with roof replacement and other needed renovations. In all, the average age of a building in the district is in the 50-60-year-old category.

"Although age is frequently a sign of the condition of a building, the quality of construction and planned maintenance are the major influences on building condition," the report stated. "As with any building of this vintage, maintenance escalates when not properly enforced. Each year, the district must make repairs and/or upgrade the existing facilities infrastructure."

Finally, the report states that its findings are simply a first step in any renovation process. "This report should be viewed as a working document...subject to additional input...as a result of exploration of additional information, issues, and resolution of questions and concerns raised by all interested parties."