Big-Ticket Summer Upgrades

A handful of Bridgehampton School maintenance and renovation projects are on track to be completed before school starts, ranging from the first major renovation of the art room in more than 20 years to electrical upkeep in the portable buildings to the painting of the school’s signature cupola.

Bob Hauser, Bridgehampton’s assistant superintendent for finance and facilities, said Monday that the big-ticket items will cost the district around $192,000 and will improve both the facilities and the quality of life for the students and staff.

“Everything seems to be running smoothly and we’re in good shape,” he said.

A $90,000 facelift for the gym will involve new scoreboards — including a repositioned “home” scoreboard for Bridgehampton fans, whose section of the gym previously faced the smaller of the two scoreboards — as well as replacements for broken glass panes in the skylight, a refinished floor, a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and replacement of the air vents.

A $20,000 renovation of the art room began Monday and will include a new smart board, computers for graphic design, and more.

Bridgehampton is spending about $27,000 to equip the portable classrooms and modular offices outside the main building with their own connections to the power grid. Previously, Mr. Hauser said, their electricity came through connections to the main school building, but that arrangement was very limiting.

“Unfortunately, we can’t do any electric upgrades to the main building because we’re maxed out, so we’re going to give the portables their own power,” he said. “If we decide to do some more upgrades to the main building, we have that additional electrical capacity.”

Reached by phone on Tuesday, Ron White, the president of the school board, described the electrical project as critical. “In terms of efficiency and being able to use our resources correctly, I think it was really important,” he said.

Bridgehampton will also spend just over $25,000 on an asbestos abatement project to remove traces of leftover asbestos insulation. Mr. Hauser explained that the district underwent a large abatement project in 1988 to replace insulation that had been installed prior to the 1980s, but in a recent routine check of soil from a crawl space in the basement, evidence of asbestos was found. He said it is not a space that is regularly used by either staff or students. The project will take place over five days starting Aug. 17.

“Just as a precaution, we’re going to go in there and do another abatement project — it’s very small — just to clean up those areas,” Mr. Hauser said.

The district is also spending about $15,000 to apply a sealing agent to the school’s exterior brickwork. Mr. Hauser explained it has to be done every seven years, “otherwise the bricks will absorb too much moisture.” He said the masonry sealant project would be done toward the end of the summer, when the summer school and recreational programs have ended.

Another big-ticket item was the repainting of the cupola, which Mr. Hauser said takes a beating due to the ocean winds coming from the south. The cupola, which stands about 75 feet above the ground, was stripped and repainted by a contractor for about $15,000. “From the main road, I think it’s the focal point of the school, so we like to keep it presentable,” he said.

Mr. White said all of the upkeep projects fall in line with the district’s five-year plan for facilities maintenance. “A lot of these things are essential. We have to get them done,” he said.