Northport-East Northport details $171 million five‑year facilities plan, highlights summer projects and in‑house savings
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Summary
District facilities staff reviewed a five‑year capital program and summer projects across multiple schools, emphasizing in‑house work that officials said reduced contractor costs and improved energy efficiency, including VRV HVAC installs and new seal‑coating equipment.
Trustees heard a detailed facilities update Wednesday outlining a five‑year plan with $171,000,000 in planned work and a total building replacement value the presentation listed as $1.2 billion.
The presentation, led by Facilities Director John Lackner and Assistant Facility Director John Pierce, summarized summer capital projects at multiple schools, ranging from septic replacement and paving at East Northport Middle School to roof phases at Northport Middle School. "We haven't presented this in this format before," Lackner said, noting the district maintains 10 buildings and nearly 200 acres of property.
The presentation listed completed and ongoing projects: replacement of precast concrete septic structures and parking‑lot paving at East Northport Middle; a full renovation of the family and consumer science room with LVT flooring and Corian counters; electrical and transformer work at Ocean Avenue that moved transformers above ground and added two 200‑amp service panels; reroofing of multiple wings at Northport Middle; VRV (variable refrigerant volume) HVAC conversions intended to reduce electric usage and replace window units; library refurbishments with new suspended ceilings, lighting and LVT; replacement of noncompliant three‑compartment sinks in multiple school kitchens to meet Department of Health guidance; new serving lines in middle‑school kitchens; tennis‑court refurbishment; and a district rollout of a seal‑coating sprayer used to reseal five parking lots this summer.
John Pierce described an initiative to do more work in‑house, saying the district purchased equipment so staff could perform seal coating across five schools for material costs "less than $20,000," compared with an earlier single‑site contractor cost of about $20,000. "We're saving close to a $100,000 a year in doing our own work in house," Pierce said, adding that the decision was driven by prior experience and training staff to perform the work.
The presenters emphasized energy and efficiency gains from the VRV HVAC installations. Lackner said the manufacturer’s technician called the Ocean Avenue installation "some of the best installations" the technician had seen, and that a wing of the building was running at about 31 amps — roughly the electrical equivalent of two classroom units — which the presenters framed as evidence of efficiency.
Superintendent Dr. Moyer and multiple trustees praised the facilities staff for workmanship and cost discipline. "They're taking on a lot of that work. We want to give credit to that," Dr. Moyer said. Trustee Donna added that before/after photos and public tours could help the community see the scope of interior work.
Public commenter Lenny Olnick thanked the facilities team and asked whether the district is doing "top down rehabs," when solar panels will be expected, the length of roof warranties and the status of the bus depot; the superintendent said some questions would require written follow‑up.
No capital bond or new funding request was announced at the meeting; presenters said the five‑year plan will be updated and brought to the board as part of the budget development process.
The board moved into Committee of the Whole to hear the presentation and later returned to public session. The board also discussed scheduling Compass building tours to pair community engagement with facility context.
