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After minor delay, Plainedge set to move forward with land swap deal with Town of Oyster Bay Plainedge Superintendent Christine P'Simer announced at the November board meeting that the Packard-Picken land swap was back on track, and that she would be asking for a resolution for the vote. This news came after residents were told last month that the Town of Oyster Bay wanted to slow down the process, and that the original December 3 vote date was canceled. The Packard-Picken deal is between the Town of Oyster Bay and the Plainedge School District. Plainedge Schools would acquire the Picken property and $1.5 million dollars from the Town, in exchange for the Packard building, which is no longer in use. Officials were to meet to discuss the issue further this week and the community will have an opportunity to get more information and ask questions at the December and January school board meetings. The tentative date for the vote on the proposal is February 6. The news of the plan to move forward did not come as a shock to many since it followed a school board meeting in October that was attended by a large number who shared their approval with the Plainedge School board about the Packard Picken property swap. Prior to that, there had been strong opposition raised by others against the land swap at the September 24 meeting. As a result the Town announced that it wanted to slow down and take time to hold more meetings so the community could have the opportunity to get a better understanding of the plan and the Town and the district could get a better understanding of the community's concerns and expectations. The majority of those in attendance at the October meeting came to the microphone to voice their approval of the Packard Picken swap and several others conveyed their disappointment that the Town was unable to hear their comments in favor of the swap. This disappointment, however, did not put a damper on their enthusiasm. "Build this park. Let's get it done," said John Hanrahan at the meeting after he called for community leaders to send letters on behalf of the community to the Town to show their support for the proposal. Ellen Ryder, a Plainedge resident and former school board trustee, said she wanted town officials to know that there was support within the community for the swap and did not want them to pull out of the deal. Other residents spoke up expressing the same point of view. The Plainedge School District had been trying unsuccessfully to rent the Packard property, which is in need of extensive repairs. The Town made the offer for the swap, which school officials saw as being beneficial to the district. As part of the deal, the Town will rent the Picken building for three years for $120,000 a year. During that time, Plainedge will look for tenants for the property. Once the Town has acquired the Packard property, it will demolish it and create a smaller building to be used as a Town Hall for community and government offices. The Town will also construct state-of-the art fields for community use. Much of the negative feedback from the community at the September 24 meeting had to do with the use of the Packard property. Many said they would prefer it to be sold for other purposes such as senior housing. Others believed the $1.5 million was not enough in exchange for the property and that the funds would be spent irresponsibly. The school district tried to ease these concerns by explaining that the money would be put into an account for capital improvements and use of that money would require a public vote. P'Simer has also explained that the district would not sell the building unless it was getting another property in exchange, addressing concerns that the district may need more space for classrooms as it grows in the future.
The next Plainedge Board meeting will be De- cember 13 in the Plainedge High School boardroom.
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