With the two elementary schools nearly complete, and work beginning at the secondary level, Construction Manager Joe Guidice, from Kreisler Borg Florman (KBF) addressed the board of education and other interested residents at the last school board meeting, to provide an update on the progress of the district's projects.

According to Guidice, the work on Stratford Elemmentary School is essentially finished with the exception of some final minor punch list items. He noted that LIPA is also working on an electrical upgrade at that school.

The work at Stewart Elementary School, is also nearly complete, with the paving of the parking lot finished, after a lengthy delay. Guidice said that there is also some repair work taking place on the roof of Stewart School, in order to guarantee the warrantee on the roof. According to Guidice there are also some masonry issues at the school, affecting the brickwork and limestone. He said that they have found the solution to those problems and expected, at the June 18 meeting, to be finished with that masonry work in roughly two weeks. Site lighting was expected to have gone up in the school parking lot at Stewart last week, according to Guidice. He added that there are also some minor punch list items that need to be dealt with at Stewart.

The middle school project, is now in the foundation stage. Guidice explained that they had some issues, where there were underground utilities found that were not expected, which delayed the project a couple of weeks, but he said that they expected to be able to make that time up. Guidice noted that interior work has begun on the library, with the framing going up, the sheet rock being started and the ceilings being looked at.

The high school is the most recent portion of the project to have begun. Guidice explained that safety fencing has gone up. He explained that they met with the Garden City Police Department to discuss the fencing and found that the police department approved of what was being done to protect the site. Guidice added that a large component of the high school project is the prep work, getting the site ready for the large construction vehicles. According to Guidice, because the major construction will be taking place inside the large interior courtyard, the construction vehicles have to be brought through the school, through the lobby, so they are building safety corridors for the vehicles to enter through and for the debris to be brought out. Guidice noted that they have been working with high school principal, John Okulski, to make sure that material deliveries and the storage of those materials are done in a safe manner, that would be "friendly to the community at large."

With regard to the three K-1 schools, Guidice said that they plan to go out to bid on that portion of the project in early July and anticipate the physical work to begin in late September, early October.

When one resident asked about the fencing that is seen from Merillon Avenue, Board of Education President Linda Leone explained that that was the only possible location for the staging area, because it was the only path of direct access to the courtyard where the library and media center will be built. "This will be more of an eyesore, but it's safer," added Leone.

Another resident questioned if the fencing would be up throughout the construction and it was explained that the fencing would be the last thing to come down. The same resident also asked whether the village had approved the fencing.

Owner's Representative Charles Palagonia explained that he called Garden City Village Police Commissioner Ernest Cipullo and asked him to send some of the patrolmen over to make sure the fence was in accordance with the police department's regulations. Palagonia said that although he was told by the police that there were no specific regulations, those working on the project wanted to be sure that there were portions of the fence, every 40 feet, that could be opened. He explained that this was a safety measure, because the green mesh on the fence blocks the view of the staging area for aesthetic purposes, so they can be sure that there are no children behind the fence.

A resident also asked those working on the project to remember that there is a time capsule by the front door and asked them to be careful as they bring the heavy machinery through that doorway.