Aquebogue Elementary School had a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning to kick off the second phase of construction in the school district’s building bond plan. Work will begin immediately and continue throughout the school year and into the summer.
The Aquebogue school houses students in grades K-4. The school is scheduled to receive a newly expanded cooking kitchen, new parking lots, reconfigured small group instructional spaces and a variety of other improvements that will modernize the building, the earliest portion of which was built in 1928.
“Cooking our lunches on site is such an important goal,” Superintendent Nancy Carney said. “By expanding our kitchens, we will be able to improve the food we offer students and provide more nutritious meals to them.” Other work will include renovated playgrounds that will place rubberized surfaces around the play equipment.
Aquebogue principal Phil Kent said he was pleased to have the construction begin.
“As anyone who has ever driven down Edgar Avenue during school events can tell you, we are in desperate need for additional parking here,” he said. “This project will help to ease that overflow and provide some relief to our neighbors.”
District voters approved a $78 million construction bond on Oct. 11, 2011. The first phase of the building project began at Phillips Avenue Elementary School on Aug. 16 of this year.
“The work at our first school, Phillips Avenue, has been going so well,” Carney said. “I am excited to begin construction on the next phase of this project. I believe that the community and the students will be very pleased with the end result.” The Aquebogue portion of the construction project is expected to cost $3.8 million.
Riley Avenue Elementary School is next on the timeline with a projected start date of about six weeks from now. Construction will start on the Riverhead High School in the spring. The district has hired Triton Construction Company to ensure that all work is coordinated between building contractors and the needs of the students, faculty and staff at the school.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by members of the Board of Education, Superintendent Nancy Carney, Aquebogue Elementary School principal Phil Kent, Triton CEO Nick Andreadis, Roger Smith and Larry Salvesen of BBS Architects, and Allison Pressler from the Community Partnership for Revitalization Team.
Source: Riverhead Central School District press release issued Nov. 19, 2012
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