Board of Ed Signs Nextel Agreement

Deal Means Millions of Dollars in Revenue for School District

By Joe Rizza

One of the initiatives of the Mineola School District was to find ways to raise revenues to lessen the financial impact to property owners of the district in these times of rising taxes. At the Thursday, Jan. 20 meeting of the Mineola Board of Education, the board signed a contract that will mean millions of dollars in revenue to the district.

Mineola Board of Education members (l-r) Maryellen Williams, Donna Strein, RoseAnn Buglione and John McGrath (standing) hold up the contract with Nextel that will bring the district $250,000 next month and $846,780 annually.

The agreement with Nextel, a leading provider of fully integrated wireless communications services is, to lease communication lines on top of the Empire State Building.

As part of the agreement, the school district will receive a $250,000 lease sign up, which it expects to receive next month, as well as $846,780 annually. After the eighth year of the lease, there is a buyout clause, if allowable by law, of $8,942,983. According to the school district, if the lease was not renewed, the district would sell or lease the lines at an equal or greater value.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lorenzo Licopoli and board of education members RoseAnn Buglione, Donna Strein, Mary Ellen Williams and John McGrath were all smiles in announcing the agreement. The board members then proceeded to sign the contract.

The culmination of months of negotiations ended with the agreement the superintendent and the board were pleased with. The board and superintendent have met its goals of raising district revenue and reducing the tax burden by, as Dr. Licopoli said, "thinking outside the box."

The superintendent feels the agreement is great news for the district. "To receive this kind of revenue is an incredible resource for us," Dr. Licopoli said.

The revenue from the agreement will be used to help offset some of the debt service for the referendum, if it should pass on Feb. 15. Residents will be voting on a $23 million bond referendum for capital improvements to the district's school buildings as well as installing building security and surveillance systems at each of the schools, constructing a new football/soccer field with a track at the high school and improving the auditorium and facilities for fine arts at the high school.

With the additional referendum figured in, it is estimated that if the bond were to pass, it would cost the average taxpayers with Basic STAR $64 a year for the 17-year length of the bond; taxpayers with the Senior STAR $61 a year and taxpayers without STAR $70 a year.