NYSUFFOL-L Archives

From: <>
Subject: [NYSUFFOL] East Moriches To Add 2nd School
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 11:45:56 EDT

Dear Suffolk-Rootsers, etc.,


Today's NEWSDAY (page A6) has a story (the first 5 paragraphs appear after my
signature) about a booming population growth in the Hamlet of East Moriches
that is forcing the building of a 2nd school, 166 years after the district
was founded.

If approved, the project would mean an end to educating the entire student
body in one building, which has been the practice since the district was
founded in 1834.

For those who have their copy of the 1998 or 1999 LI Population Survey or
have already downloaded the report from the Suffolk County Cooperative
Library web site (eMail me directly if you need instructions on how to access
and download the report), you'll find the Hamlet of East Moriches, Town of
Brookhaven, Suffolk County on pages 15 & 26 (map) and 27 (population
estimate).

For all those Suffolk-Rootsers who wish to see the entire story but can not
access the web, please eMail me directly and I will then eMail the entire
story to you.


Sincerely,

Walter Greenspan

Ending An Era To Build A Future
East Moriches wants to add a second school
by Joie Tyrrell/Staff Writer

Driving down a tree-lined East Moriches street on his way to work last week,
Gary Grunseich noticed not one, but two new stork-shaped signs planted in
front of two homes.

Plywood bundles dangled from the storks' beaks, announcing the arrival of two
babies to the families who lived inside.

"This is the epitome of it," the school board member and father of eight
thought to himself as he headed to the fishing station he owns. "Do we put
our head in the sand and make believe we don't have a problem?" East
Moriches, like many communities in eastern Suffolk, is experiencing a
population boom that has spilled into the schools as more and more young
families move into the centuries-old hamlet on the South Shore. That's why
the district is proposing a $23.7-million bond today, almost twice the annual
budget, to build a new school. If approved, the project would mean an end to
educating the entire student body in one building, which has been the
practice since the district was founded in 1834. East Moriches is one of only
a handful of school systems left on Long Island that still works that way.

This year, seeking to benefit from a 10 percent increase in state building
aid, dozens of other Long Island districts that have seen similar enrollment
increases have also proposed multimillion-dollar bond issues to pay for new
classrooms and buildings.

But unlike districts in more developed areas, East Moriches is a small system
that lacks a commercial tax base, meaning that the burden of paying for
improvements lies with the residents of the lone-traffic-light hamlet. The
small downtown business area includes a deli, a real estate agency, dentist's
office and a hardware store. If approved, the referendum would increase the
tax rate $12.25 per $100 of assessed value. Officials estimate that to be $30
more per month for the owner of a home assessed at $3,000 and $40 more a
month for a home assessed at $4,000.


06/22/2000 - Thursday - Page A 6

Copyright © Newsday, Inc.

This thread:

• [NYSUFFOL] East Moriches To Add 2nd School by <>