BBS to design and construct $45.9 million in renovations for Rockville Centre School

Voters have approved the Rockville Centre School District's $45.9 million school improvement bond issue. Nearly 60% of the 3,543 residents who came out to vote approved the measure. 59% or 2,078 voted in favor of the bond. BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers are the architect, interior designer, technology designer, and MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) engineer for the renovation and new construction projects included in the program. BBS president and principal Architect, Roger Smith, said, "The approval of the bond issue by the voters is a turning point for the Long Island economy. This is the fifth school construction bond for BBS-designed school construction projects approved on Long Island and in Lower New York State in the last two-and-a-half months. We are witnessing the beginning of the end of the recession in our region." Prior to developing the architectural designs for the projects included in the program, BBS performed a review of the existing facilities, analyzed the demographic data and trends, assessed the cost of various alternatives, and gathered the input from the district's personnel and the local community. Based on this research, BBS developed the capital program that's divided into three distinctive areas. These include: spatial needs, which encompass the necessary additional classrooms, administrative offices and other facilities; facility needs, which include the required maintenance and capital improvements to existing facilities and infrastructure; and the site work, which consists of sports fields, playgrounds, pick-up and drop-off loops, driveways, and parking areas. BBS also assisted the district with the development of the presentation materials for the voters. These materials outlined the district's needs and details of the work to be included in the bond-funded program. The projects will include the construction of additions to both South Side High School and Watson Elementary School as well as numerous renovations throughout the district. The bond will finance roof maintenance work, masonry reconstruction, building code upgrades, floor repairs, band and chorus room renovations, installation of security cameras, a boiler replacement, and other necessary building systems work. In particular, the program includes: 1. Expanding South Side High School to replace 12 classrooms in portable trailers and converted garages. By bringing the classroom space inside, the district will be able to lock the building, which currently has to remain unlocked, limit entry to one door, and dramatically improve security. 2. Adding three classrooms, small-group instruction space, and additional parking at Watson Elementary School. 3. Modernizing South Side High School's outdated science labs. 4. Upgrading athletic facilities throughout the district. 5. Updating music, theater, and arts facilities throughout the district. 6. Addressing structural and design deficiencies in the district's buildings. Both Long Island and the entire nation have experienced a significant slowdown in the volume and value of construction work performed in school districts over the last four years. However, the successful Rockville Centre's bond vote is the fifth approval of BBS-designed school construction bonds for Long Island and other New York State districts since December 2012. According to Smith, "The voters' approvals represent both the understanding of the facility needs faced by the local school districts and the confidence in the improving economy."