District architects outline Mohansic, Brookside additions and new athletic complex; DEP review remains open

Architects for the Yorktown Central School District presented progress on the bond projects—additions at Mohansic and Brookside elementary schools and a new athletic complex—saying most design work is complete, state review is underway and construction procurement will begin this summer.

Tina (architect, Maumasi) told the board, “We are really happy to be here,” and reviewed the scope: classroom additions (two kindergarten classrooms and a four-classroom third-grade addition at Brookside; a two-story six-classroom kindergarten addition at Mohansic), security upgrades, a renovated servery at Mohansic, and an athletic complex with two turf multipurpose fields, a varsity baseball/turf field, courts for basketball and pickleball, and a concessions/restroom building.

The presentation laid out the approvals and outstanding reviews. The design team submitted building documents to the New York State Education Department (SED) in February 2025 and received engineering comments in March; architects are “awaiting technical review and anticipated approvals,” Tina said. The architects reported that the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) review is the remaining regulatory hurdle for the athletic site because the campus lies in the city’s watershed area; the team expects DEP’s technical review within a “couple of months.”

The team described an unknown subsurface condition discovered during due diligence: two large drainage pipes that run from the campus pond toward the western property line are shallow and partially compromised. The architects said video inspection showed about 250 feet of compromised pipe and that the design now includes replacing roughly 400 linear feet of this drainage infrastructure so the larger multipurpose field can be constructed above it.

Schedule highlights presented to the board included these target milestones: bid documents for the athletic fields in July 2025 and for Brookside and Mohansic in August 2025; construction for Brookside and Mohansic from October 2025 through September 2026; construction of Field 1 (baseball/field‑hockey multipurpose) from September 2025 to May 2026; Field 2 beginning after Field 1 is complete (May 2026–May 2027); and plaza and concessions construction from May 2026 to May 2027.

Scott Hilge of ARRIS, the district’s construction manager, and Daryl (Maumasi) joined architects in answering board questions about phasing and minimizing instructional disruption. Daryl said additions will be built at the ends of the buildings so interior renovation tie‑ins can occur when school is out of session. Scott and the architects emphasized phasing the turf work so at least one field remains available for campus use while other work proceeds.

Board members pressed for details on construction impacts and permitting. Board member Lisa Sanfilippo asked how the district will “minimize the impact on instructional time”; Daryl replied additions will start before interior renovation and work will be sequenced and scheduled to reduce noise and large deliveries during school hours. Board member Peter (Pete) asked about overall timing; architects confirmed the team remains “on track” for the dates shown but noted the schedule depends on DEP and seasonal weather conditions.

The presentation described several “green” building strategies being incorporated into the additions: high‑performance glazing and insulated wall/roof assemblies, high‑efficiency LED lighting with daylight controls, variable‑refrigerant‑flow HVAC and heat‑pump systems (no fossil fuels for those new spaces), energy‑recovery ventilators, and MERV‑13 filtration.

Officials said a Brookside traffic study is underway to evaluate options to separate bus circulation from parent drop‑off and improve site flow for the kindergarten addition. The team also said donor pavers from an earlier plaza will be relocated into the new concessions plaza.

Why it matters: the bond work follows voter approval of two propositions in February and will expand classroom capacity and replace or upgrade playing fields and spectator facilities. The remaining DEP technical review and the drainage‑pipe replacement are the largest near‑term implementation risks that could affect schedule or scope.

The board had no formal vote on the presentation; trustees moved on to other agenda items after the update.