The construction firm of Sullivan & Nickel presented to Garden City trustees cost estimates that could determine the fate of the former St. Paul's school during a Sept. 9 board work session.

Total building demolition would be out laid at $2,710,840 and does not include any landscaping or aesthetic site restoration, according Douglas Renna, vice president of Sullivan & Nickel.

To conduct a complete exterior restoration, scaffolding would be erected around the entire building and the roof replaced. This would carry the price tag of $10,060,841 and include incidental costs, along with design and construction contingencies, Renna said.

For the building's interior restoration - to include a 15,000 square foot community center on the first floor - the expenditure would be $22,645,855, according to Renna.

The library and community center proposal, a 50,000 square foot space fixated on three floors, would cost $28,684,338. All interior restoration proposals include mechanical, electrical, fire safety and plumbing needs.

The estimates also configured the difference if the building's east and west wings were demolished. The dollar amount comes to $1,393,444 for the wings' removal. By abolishing the wings, the price for the exterior restoration would be reduced to $8,036,466 and the community center option would reduce by over $3 million, according to Renna.

"Now that we verified the costs, we need to have some discussion about it," Mayor Barbara Miller said. She also said that the public deserved the numbers. Trustee John Mauk said otherwise.

"It is a waste of our time and of the public's time and I think from that standpoint that this estimate and this discussion is largely irrelevant," he said. Mauk distributed a handout, "Setting Aside Irrelevancies," which cited four points to his argument.

He believes a comprehensive plan for the use of the building is lacking. He further argued that the results of the recent poll, which was commissioned by the property owners' associations, revealed that only 15 percent of 5,000 surveyed residents favored relocating the library. Forty percent favored using the building for the private development of residential condominiums or an assisted living facility.

Mauk's third reason stated that the majority of residents are not interested in spending nearly $30 million to fund the public restoration of St. Paul's and finally, he believes that a publicly funded restoration would exceed the estimate projection.

Trustee Peter Bee said, "Assuming for the moment, we are looking at a number just shy of $30 million, what are we willing to give up in order to get this?" Bee also encouraged public feedback on the issue and said he does not think anyone wants to demolish the building.

Bee drew applause from the audience when he said, "We have this wonderful space and we need well thought out options." He also said the board should look into outside consultants.

As an advocate for the library and community center proposal, Trustee Peter Negri said, "I am realistic to know that the public might not support that, so obviously we are not going to shove something down the public's throat."

Trustee John Watras also distributed a handout, "Saint Paul's Historic Building Fact Sheet." It included recommendations to demolish Ellis Hall and the cottages and to restore the Main Building. He cited the difficulty to obtain Home Rule Legislation and a divisive board. He is against moving the library and wants the construction work to begin immediately.

Robert Vassalotti, who lives on Brixton Road, said, "There are perhaps other methods of funding this project." He said that he is in favor of the library/community center proposal. He added, "I think the board has to look outside of this community and see what others on Long Island, New York State and this country think. The actions we make in this room have to go beyond the walls of this town."

Resident John Pascal said that the historic building's preservation is very important to the Garden City community. Another resident inquired about using the site to direct movies while yet another resident asked, "What do you think Alexander Turney Stewart would do with the building?"