The Mineola Board of Education has set Feb. 28 as the date residents of the school district will vote on a $10,045,000 plan for maintenance repairs in the district. If improved, the bond will be paid back over 15 years. However, the board feels that revenue the district will receive from a deal with Nextel will cover the bond payments so that the referendum will not cost the taxpayers any additional money.

The school district's capital planning committee, headed by Deputy Superintendent Dr. Michael Nagler, came up with a plan that addresses the district's most dire needs.

The $10 million would pay for:

* Ventilation work at Mineola Middle School

* Windows and doors at Mineola High School

* Windows and doors at the middle school

* Roof and minor ventilation work at the Jackson Avenue School

* Roof and minor ventilation work at the Hampton Street School

* Roof and minor ventilation work at the Cross Street School

* Complete renovation of the Mineola High School Auditorium

Resident John Strein, who served on the capital planning committee, which was comprised of community members with a wealth of experience in construction, said the committee was inundated with needs for the districts. However, the committee's big goal was to recommend a referendum that would be no cost to the taxpayers so only the items in the most dire need of repair were included in the referendum. "It's time for this work to be done now," said Strein, adding that the items contained within the bond cannot be put off anymore.

Last year, the school district entered into an agreement with Nextel for the lease of frequencies the district owns. In return, Nextel will pay the school district $846,000 a year for 15 years. The board believes that money would cover the bond payments over the length of the bond.

Those who favor the bond believe the work such as the windows at the high school needs to be addressed now. The board believes borrowing the money and paying back over time is the best way to go.

The board doesn't even feel that doing the projects over time is a viable option. Before any capital project can be done in the school district, the district must complete the middle school ventilation work, which is part of the bond. The cost of the middle school ventilation work is $2.4 million. The district's architects have informed Dr. Nagler that the ventilation project cannot be done over time.

If the board doesn't put the bond up, the items would have to be addressed through the budget. The bond, the board feels, is the most fiscally responsible way to pay for the projects since addressing capital projects in the budget outside of the $500,000 budget line dedicated to capital improvements would cause the budget to swell.

District resident George Harte of Albertson expressed concern that if Nextel was to somehow go bankrupt, the district residents would be stuck making the bond payments. The board of education feels that the value of the frequencies the district owns would not decrease, though, so the revenue stream should be protected.

Board of education vice president Mary Ellen Williams said the board believes that the Nextel money will cover the bond payments but she said she doesn't expect that to pacify everyone. She said that it is the voters' prerogative to vote for or against the bond referendum but the only fiscally responsible thing to do as a board member is to put it before voters.

District resident Richard Kotowski said that, in light of the bond referendum, the district should try to hold the line on taxes. Kotowski believes that if the board comes up with a tax increase that reflects no tax increases, then people will vote to approve the bond referendum.

However, the vote for the bond referendum will take place Feb. 28, before the budget is even adopted. The vote will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the Cross, Hampton, Jackson and Meadow Drive schools.

The next meeting of the Mineola Board of Education will take place on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of the Willis Avenue School. It is expected the state-of-the-district address will be given and the independent auditor's report on the 2004-2005 school year will be discussed at that meeting.