Bronxville Board of Education Reveals Renovation Plans, Costs and Opening Schedule

Bronxville school parents and district residents got some highly anticipated news concerning the damages incurred by school buildings during last week’s storm on Thursday night, as the Bronxville Board of Education revealed renovations plans, their estimated costs, as well as a new tentative schedule for the first day of classes at a regular meeting held at Village Hall.

Board President James Hudson opened the meeting by thanking all parties involved in the school’s renovation efforts, and assuring all those in attendance that the board, Bronxville Major Mary Marvin and the school district are in the process of petitioning regional, state and national leaders for aid in funding the repairs needed. Hudson added that the board is still in the process of conducting its “after-action review” of how the flood was handled, although he stressed that mitigation efforts have already been determined to be far more successful than in 2007.

The Board then received a presentation from Superintendent of Schools David F. Quattrone, who began by outlining damages done to the school by Irene and the renovation projects already underway. Despite the entire first floor and 109,000 square feet of the Bronxville School being flooded by three to four feet of water last Sunday, Quattrone said the building is now “almost completely dry,” and that all fire, electrical, HVAC and technological infrastructure and networks remained intact throughout the storm. The school’s new boiler room was also unaffected.

Quattrone also outlined how flood mitigation efforts put in place after the flooding episode of 2007 and in the days before Irene hit were what he called “generally effective,” including the installation of tile floors and walls, the relocation of vents from floor level to ceilings, and the moving of most equipment to table level or second floor classrooms.

Unfortunately, Quattrone explained, the flood water line rose above table level in many rooms in the school’s “old wing,” causing irreversible damage to a number of smart boards and computers. Paper and wood materials below the water line were also destroyed, as well as padding along the walls of the school gym. In-depth examination of the damages also revealed that water had penetrated some wall spaces, which will require some more significant restoration. For the second time in four years, the floor of the school’s main gym was also completely destroyed, and will need replacing. Board members loosely agreed upon looking into a synthetic surface as a replacement for the flood-vulnerable wood floor.

Quattrone emphasized that an “item by item” review is still underway, and that the extent of the damages incurred throughout the school depends on what types of materials have been affected and to what degree. Quattrone made it clear that no demolition work would be needed, however, and that the majority of the renovation efforts will revolve around drying, cleaning, sanitizing, patching and painting affected areas.

Thursday’s open session next turned to a discussion concerning the overall costs of the renovations needed, which Assistant Superintendent for Business at the Bronxville School Dan Carlin said he could not see exceeding $5 million. Carlin outlined the three levels of insurance the district is covered by, which includes FEMA – which could contribute up to $500,000 in funds – and two separate Great American Insurance Group (GAIG) policies worth between $5 million and $10 million. Carlin told the Board that GAIG has not yet been in touch, however, as they do not believe they will be needed since renovation costs are estimated to be less than $5 million. In 2007, the total cost of renovations to the school – including remediation – totaled $22 million. That year, the school’s insurance claim was $8 million, with the rest being funded by Bronxville taxpayers and FEMA.

Lastly, Superintendent Quattrone put forth a “Proposed Opening Schedule,” which he explained is subject to change and will ultimately be dictated by how renovation efforts advance. As of Thursday’s meeting, Tuesday September 6 will be a “Teacher only” session, with classes opening the following day, Wednesday September 7, for all students in grades 1-12. Due to significant damages caused to their building, the first day of school for all kindergarten students will be Monday, September 19.

In all, two Irene-related resolutions were passed at Thursday’s meeting, one to approve the adjustments made to the school calendar and another referred to as a “declaration of emergency,” which allows repairs and renovations not involving demolition to be executed by the school without approval from the Board, aimed at expediting the recovery process.

The next time the Board meets is on September 15 at 7 p.m..

See the Bronxville School's revised calendar here.

See the complete Flood Recovery Plan here.

See the Declaration of a State of Emergency here.