For months, members of the Amityville School Board’s MAC Pack have been fighting the school board’s four majority members saying the Park Avenue renovation project is behind schedule and over budget and a potential health and safety hazard. Unable to get at least one additional vote from the majority members to move to close the project down until a full assessment can be made, the group, which includes Trustees Marietta Mee, Stephanie Andrews and Patricia Cahaney, has now taken their case to the public

Last week, to a room full of approximately 40 Amityville and Massapequa residents, Mee and Andrews showed a video taken by the district’s contract manager, Christa Construction. The video shows the damage done to the building as a result of a failure on the part of the roofer to complete the project. Taken last month, the video shows puddles of water on the flat roof with thousands of dollars in roofing material sitting there, exposed to the elements.

But the problems don’t stop there. As a result of not having a sound roofing system, water has seeped into the building, sometimes in streams, ruining some of the new sheet rock, damaging the fireproofing on the steel beams and buckling the wood flooring that was supposed to be kept intact and restored. In particular, the flooring in the auditorium appears to be damaged beyond repair.

Dr. Rhoda Pierre, Superintendent of Schools, said she has become aware of the growing concern within the community but assures the public that a lot of work has been done since the video was taken more than a month ago.

"I am in there once a week and can tell you there have been a lot of changes in there," said Pierre. "Measures are being taken now by the bonding company and by Christa to work to remedy the situation by putting on a complete roof and if the public were to walk through the site today, they would see the progress."

Residents were incensed looking at the video. They pressed the two board members for answers—many of which the board members did not have, they said, because the board’s majority has refused to pressure both Christa, its architect, Spector Corporation, and its individual contractors for that information.

"After months of pressing the four majority board members to discuss what we are going to do about this, they continue to put their heads in the sand and act as if nothing is wrong," said Andrews. "They have even refused to discuss what options there are for us when this school does not open in September and we have problems with space and have to figure out where, exactly, we are going to put the students."

Pierre said, however, that the building will be complete and ready for students to occupy in September. "All of the issues concerning safety and health will be addressed," she said. "The damaged sheetrock will be removed and replaced and the ceilings will be redone and this building will be ready for students in September; it has to be because we have no other options."

But residents weren’t convinced.

"I am very disappointed," said an angry Gary Ward, who lives a half block from the school and has a child in the district. "This project was supposed to take a year to complete and it is incomprehensible what is going on."

Ward, like many other residents, said the apparent mismanagement of the project just adds to the poor image and reputation of the district. "All of this just reinforces the negative attitude about our schools."

Andrews explained that the school board members are elected and that it is very difficult to get any public official removed from office. "Essentially it is impossible unless the individual official has committed a crime," said Andrews.

"Well I would say this is very close to being criminal," shouted one resident pointing to the tape that was showing water pouring into the building and down a newly installed sheet rock wall.

"What we have to do is get accountability from them," said Mee. "We have to get the public’s help in doing that."

"When are they (members of the board) up for reelection?" asked one resident.

"There are elections in May that can turn this thing around, but we can’t wait for that," said Mee. "Even if the board’s majority turns around, they don’t take office until July. "We need to do something now."

She and Andrews said the residents should begin by making phone calls to their friends and neighbors and they should attend the next school board meeting. "The public has to make this board aware that they want this project stopped and a complete assessment made before we move forward," said Andrews, adding that she was concerned that the structural integrity of the building has been weakened by the water damage and that the building will be "sick" from mold and mildew that is being encapsulated within the walls. "We cannot put children in this building," she said.

The board’s majority did authorize the hiring of an overseer to go on site, get the project moving and monitor its completion. But the MAC Pack refused to vote for the measure, saying moving forward would not ensure that the building is safe and sound.

Local residents John H. Schad, a contractor, Dave Heller of Heller Plumbing and Peter Keller, an architect, have taken a tour of the facility and agree with the the MAC Pack.

Schad said the board majority’s "business-as-usual," attitude has to change and that the only way to ensure that is to have the public demand it.

"It is only through the efforts of this entire community that this project is going to come to a satisfactory end," said Schad who has been asking the board since September to shut the project down and reassess. "We have to bring someone in here that is going to back up, review everything to this point and do what has to be done to get this building in a state where we can move forward. We can’t let this happen here," he continued.

Pierre said the overseer is doing his job, however and has been putting together a complete record of the project, which will be presented to the board.

"I understand the public is frustrated, and rightly so," she said. "People don’t want their children to go into an unsafe building with unsafe conditions, but I can assure them that what is happening there now is moving toward a remedy."

"I think that we have to stop the work and clear up a lot of questions and then move forward," said resident Hank Byrd. "We don’t want to see a situation down the line where a roof collapses or we have 100 sick kids because this project was not done right."