WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. July 12, 2005, UPDATED WITH PICTURES: Rosemarie Eller and William Pollak were sworn to new three-year terms as members of the White Plains Board of Education Monday evening. It is the second term for Mr. Pollak, the first for Ms. Eller.  Donna McLaughlin was elected President of the Board of Education and Marie Tratoros, Vice President.

THE SCHOOLS OF THE FUTURE: The meeting was highlighted by a presentation by the architectural firm of  Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson of Mount Kisco of their preliminary recommendations for needed renovation of the Mamaroneck Avenue School, Ridgeway School, and Post Road School. Plans to renovate the district’s three major athletic fields: the White Plains High School Loucks Field, the Highlands Parker Stadium and the Eastview school fields, transforming them into state-of-the-art synthetic turf fields were recommended. Russell Davidson, President of the firm is shown explaining the renovations that emphasize renovating the ancient auditoriums, dividing the traditional large classrooms into smaller units, and getting more use out of athletic fields. Photo by WPCNR News.

NEW THREE-STORY POST ROAD ADDITION SUGGESTED. The view of the architectural rendering.At top the view of the West Post Road Side. At bottom the Sterling Avenue Side. In the bottom rendering, the addition is on the right half of the drawing. At the top, the viewer can see the addition takes up the length of West Post Road frontage. Photo by WPCNR News.

The Post Road School plan is the most ambitious of the three renovations. The firm recommends building a three-story addition to the Post Road School cornering on Sheridan Avenue and Post Road, renovating the auditorium, relocating the library into the new addition area, and dividing present large classrooms into smaller segments. The architects recommend this plan as the least invasive, rather than gutting the entire building. However, they suggested, the school district consider building a new school on the back portion of the Post Road property where the athletic fields are now.

New Traffic Pattern Proposed. The new addition proposed is shown in blue. Traffic would "loop in and out" from and onto West Post Road for dropoff and pickup of students. School Buses would queue on Sterling Avenue, so vehicular traffic would not interfere with school bus dropoff and and pickup. Parking would be in gray section on Soundview Avenue. Photo by WPCNR News.

The Mamaroneck Avenue School Plan proposes expanding the school library, renovating the auditorium and adding a new series of classrooms on the Bryant Avenue side of the building. Renovations are in purple. New Classrooms in Blue on right. Eric Kaeyer of KGB, architects of the White Plains High School addition explains the plan. Photo by WPCNR News

At Ridgeway School, a school that is very overcrowded, and has been for the last decade, the architects propose dividing larger classrooms into smaller units, renovation of the auditorium. Eric Kaeyer does the honors. Photo by WPCNR News

In each of the three schools discussed last night, Russell Davidson,  the President of  Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson, said the trend in education today is toward smaller class sizes, specialized rooms for “pull-out” instruction, and grouping of classes into wings of buildings. He said that teams of parents and administrators toured the buildings with the KGD architectural team explaining to the architects what the objectives were in future instruction, as well as physical changes needed to accommodate those objectives.

The architectural firm also presented plans to transform the three main White Plains District athletic fields into synthetic turf fields.

LOUCKS STADIUM DOWNSIZED. Photo by WPCNR News.

The Loucks Field at the high school, the former football stadium has had a plan presented by a local athletic booster group headed by Dan Woodard to transform it into a 7,000 seat track and football stadium, in order that the stadium could host national meets. However the estimated $7 Million cost of that stadium has generated very little enthusiasm among donors. Less than $500,000 has been raised.

KGB presented a rendering that would reduce the expansion of the stadium to 3,500 seats, installing lights, a state-of-the-art track, and a synthetic grass-rubber-sand based synthetic surface (similar to the surface installed at the Saxon Woods soccer complex recently opened) which would accommodate football, track, lacrosse, soccer, field hockey.  Mr. Woodard, the stadium advocate, attending the presentation, when asked by the Superintendent of Schools, declined to comment on what he thought of the scaling down of the project.

For a cost reference, a synthethic turf soccer field built at Saxon Woods Park opened last month is reported to have cost $1.6 Million to build. That field has lights, but no track and no stands.

PARKER STADIUM RENOVATION. Photo by WPCNR News.

At the Highlands Parker Stadium, KGB recommends gutting the concrete bowl there and installing 1,300 seats, a press box, and a running track, and another synthetic turf state-of-the-art false grass, rubber and sand base field. No lights would be installed at Highlands.

ANOTHER EASTVIEW REDO. Photo by WPCNR News

At Eastview School, KGB recommends transforming the baseball-softball fields and soccer fields there into synthetic turf fields. ( The Eastview fields were refurbished with grass by the city of White Plains two years ago at an expenditure of $300,000-plus, which were rejected by former Athletic Director Mario Scarano last year as unfit to play on. They have since been okayed for use by the school district after  the district refused to reinstate Mr. Scarano’s contract.)

Next in the process, Davidson said was a costing out of the recommendations. He did not have an estimate as to what the prelimary costs of the recommendations would be.

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors said the next step was to present these plans to the community, and make a compelling case for the need for the upgrade of the buildings, and the fields. Connors also expressed the hope that the City of White Plains would join with the School District in financing the upgrade of the District schools by using their bonding power.

Connors expressed worry that if there was a significant turnaround in the White Plains population demographics, which now averages 62 years of age, the district capacity for handling an increase in enrollment would be in doubt.

John Sheppard. New TV Prodcution Specialist for the Board of Education. Photo of Mr. Sheppard in action by WPCNR News.

The complete presentation will be televised as part of the regular cablecast of the July Board of Education meeting, which is planned to begin airing on Thursday evening, if all goes well,  said John Sheppard, the district’s new TV Production Specialist, who replaces Nancy Strauss. Sheppard, comes to the District from the National Hockey League, where he specialized in NHL promotions. He has freelanced for major league baseball, and brings a high level of production know-how to the position.

Rosemarie Eller, reading her vow, as she joined the Board of Education officially Monday evening. Photo by WPCNR News.

William Pollak (center) takes the oath for his second three year term as Member of the Board of Education. Photo by WPCNR News.

The 2005-2006 White Plains Board of Education: Left to Right, Rosemarie Eller, Terry McGuire, Bill Pollak, Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors, President Donna McLaughlin, Marie Tratoros, Peter Bassano, and Rick Tompkins. Photo by WPCNR News.