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Board approves interim facilities hire as auditorium renovation runs late
Summary
After hearing a summer facilities update on paving, gym work and a delayed Ramapo High School auditorium seating order, the board authorized hiring Michael Falcone as interim director of facilities at $875 per day; staff said asbestos abatement has cleared and contractors continue work.
District facilities staff said paving, gym floor resurfacing and cafeteria renovations were completed at multiple campuses this summer, and that the major renovation of Ramapo High School’s auditorium has been delayed because the seating manufacturer shipped later than planned.
Eric Stark, who is serving as the district’s facilities lead, said the district used leftover SRARP funds and a transfer to capital to repave parking lots and fix trip hazards across the district and that gym floors and cafeteria refurbishments were finished or underway. The Ramapo auditorium renovation remains unfinished because of a delayed seat delivery; staff estimated completion in early to mid-September at the earliest and possibly into October. Stark said asbestos abatement for the project was completed and air monitoring cleared the site.
The board also discussed the facilities leadership vacancy: former facilities director Matt Tindall resigned with a last day the prior Friday, Stark said. The interim superintendent presented a resolution to hire Michael Falcone as a per-diem consultant to serve as interim director of facilities, at a per-diem rate of $875 beginning no later than Sept. 1, 2025. The board approved the resolution; one board member recorded opposition on the record stating discomfort with a same-night presentation, while other members said the district urgently needed on-site leadership for ongoing projects.
Trustees asked whether auditorium work would interrupt instruction and were told classes that usually meet in lecture rooms or the auditorium would be relocated until work finished; principals were coordinating temporary spaces and orientations would proceed as planned in gyms and other spaces. Staff said they are pushing contractors daily and that installers’ lead time on seating was the primary cause of the delay.
Stark said the district is canvassing the civil service list and discussing short-term support with retirees while recruiting a permanent facilities director; his team will present a candidate for short-term, part-time help in executive session. The board approved the per-diem consultant resolution in open session, and trustees voted to adjourn the meeting following that action.
Less critical details: the district ordered new cafeteria furniture for the high schools that will arrive mid to late September; some lecture rooms in the Ramapo auditorium complex are under construction and classes will be relocated temporarily; the district used late-liquidation SRARP funds for some paving work.
