Safety Is First at Springs School

In the Springs School District, a plan to build a new parking lot, widen Ed Hults Lane, redo the drop-off and pick-up area, and more would not come cheap, but it boils down to one key word — safety.

On Monday, the Springs School Board voted to add a proposition to the May 19 ballot that will ask residents to approve the use of $2 million from a reserve fund for the project. It would not require additional taxes to be collected.

According to a presentation made Tuesday by the school’s architect, Roger Smith, the physical improvements to the campus would make it safer for families to drop off and pick up their kids, while also reducing congestion on the streets surrounding the school, such as School Street and Old Stone Highway. The $2 million would break down into $915,000 for the parking lot, about $256,000 for the drop-off and pickup loop, $480,500 for improvements to Ed Hults Lane, and about $349,000 to redo other athletic fields and play areas that would be affected by the changes.

The proposed 150-space parking lot and drop-off and pickup loop would accommodate more cars on school grounds, reducing the spillover to surrounding streets in the mornings and afternoons. It would replace a baseball field, but a new one could eventually be built elsewhere on the property, Mr. Smith said, noting that voters in 2006 had approved the sale of bonds up to $225,000 for such a purpose. That project never materialized because it was deemed too expensive at the time, he said.

Liz Mendelman, president of the school board, said she has seen “so many unsafe practices” on and around school grounds. “We owe it to the kids and the community to make it safer,” she said. “We impact our residents on School Street, we impact our residents on Old Stone Highway. The town has said you need to add more parking on the property. . . . At some point you have to step up to the plate and solve the problem.”

In a statement posted Tuesday to the school’s website, East Hampton Town’s police chief, Michael Sarlo, a Springs resident, expressed support for the project.

“The growth of the student population and the current safety and logistical challenges of the site are obvious and should be addressed in a meaningful way,” Chief Sarlo said. “The plan that has been created meets that goal and should be given careful consideration by the community.”

But the proposal has not won unanimous approval. Chris Tucci was among residents who opposed it on Tuesday night. Mr. Tucci told school officials that the district ought first to address space concerns in the school building itself. Two million dollars was a lot of money, he said, and it could be better spent on easing crowded classrooms.

“It is possible to start the expansion of the building and come back and do this basically at any time?” he asked. “The issue of space is imminent and critical.”

There is no formal plan to expand the school, though creating one has been discussed, and a facilities committee has been put together to explore the options with Mr. Smith, the architect.

Yesterday, some parents who had just dropped off their children said the traffic congestion depended on a number of factors, such as the time they arrived, the day of the week, and the weather.

“If you get here closer to when school starts, you wait a little longer,” said Sigrid Benedetti.

Erik Davidowicz, who lives close to the school, said there were indeed concerns about parking, but that people were generally “pretty good” about not parking where it’s prohibited. “If you’re here early, you usually have to park pretty far away,” he said. “If it rains, it’s usually worse.”

On Monday, the school board also adopted a proposed 2015-16 budget of $27.4 million, which will be presented to voters as Proposition 1 on May 19.

“This budget allows for the continuation of an educational program of excellence for our students while staying within the limits of the tax levy cap,” said John J. Finello, the Springs School superintendent, in a statement issued Tuesday. “We think we’re in pretty good shape, but it is a tight budget.”