Manhasset Board of Education approved, as part of its consent agenda, a grant disbursement agreement with the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York to renovate the high school athletic trophy hallway.

The grant is a reimbursement award of up to $125,000, and the district has allocated $8,000 toward an estimated $133,000 project cost, Gerard (staff member) said. “The grant is on a reimbursement basis, so it's up to $125,000. We will spend the money, and then we will be reimbursed. Included in the grant, the the estimate for the trophy case is a $133,000. The district has allocated $8,000 towards it, and the balance of a 125,000 will come from the the from the grant,” Gerard said.

Why it matters: the hallway is a high-traffic student area, and trustees said construction must be timed to avoid interfering with school activities. Mariana (board member) asked for public clarification and whether the grant funds would be sufficient; Gerard said the $125,000 reimbursement, combined with the district’s $8,000, represents the best estimate at this time and that the district will get updated cost estimates when it engages the architect.

Support, timeline and next steps: Gerard said the district’s architect, Grillo, reviewed the estimate and expects the final cost to be in the same range but cautioned it could change. Board members said work would be scheduled in the summer to avoid disrupting students. Gerard said the construction timeline for the trophy case is “anywhere from 8 to 10 months” and that the work would likely be planned for late spring moving into summer to avoid the school year.

Funding gap: A board member who spoke during the discussion said private fundraising will likely be needed if the project scope reaches the higher end of estimates. “If the aspirations are met for what we really wanna do, some private funding is also gonna be needed to, help the project,” the board member said.

The grant and related work were bundled in the meeting’s consent agenda and approved by the board. The district will reassess estimates with the architect before starting procurement and will coordinate scheduling to avoid major student foot-traffic disruption.

Ending: Board members said they will begin conversations with the architect and with potential private donors to finalize scope, costs and timing before work begins.