The Herricks School Board declared an emergency measure to provide funding for a new air conditioning system at Herricks Middle School.

At the meeting held on July 19th at the Herricks Community Center, the Board took the step of declaring a health and safety emergency following the breakdown of a rooftop airconditioning unit that services several windowless classrooms in the school. Such a measure, the Board explained, is the only way to allocate emergency funds to replace the unit, an expense that had not otherwise been budgeted for.

"We didn't expect it all to die at once," said Herricks School Superintendent Dr. John Bierwirth, referring to the airconditioning system, "so we didn't budget for it." He went on to ask the board to declare an emergency, allowing $9,180 to be transferred from unappropriated funds to pay for a replacement system. "The only way we can do it is by having a health and safety emergency," he said. The board passed the measure without incident, awarding the contract for the work to Thermo Tech Combustion Inc. on a cooperative bid. New York State law allows the board to award cooperative bids to contractors without going out for further bids.

The Board also accepted two gifts at the meeting. The first, from John Viollis, owner of Personal Best Fitness Studio in Merrick, was a gift of various pieces of fitness equipment, including a high/low pulley machine and a stationary bicycle. The second gift, of approximately $1,000 of software, was from Kathy and Richard Ziet, parents of a Herricks High School student. Ziet, a Microsoft employee, was able to obtain a deep discount on the software, which has a retail value of approximately $5,000. Microsoft Corporation also has a matching gift program, which will provide an equal dollar donation to the Herricks Scholarship Fund.

In other business, the board approved a contract for the purchase and maintenance of Avaya telephone equipment. The contract, awarded to DJJ Technologies at a cost of $63,790, will allow the upgrading of the telephone service in each of the buildings in the school district. The move will bring fiber optic technology into the district, allowing employees to make more interoffice calls for free throughout the district.

The next board meeting will take place on August 9 at 7:15 p.m. at the Herricks Community Center, 999 Herricks Road, New Hyde Park.