Lawrence board offers to sell No. 6 to HALB for 8.5M+; buyer plans to quit Long Beach

The Lawrence School District Board of Education voted Monday night to sell the vacant Number Six School in Woodmere to the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (HALB), pending ongoing negotiations for what trustees said would add millions in value to the potential transaction.

HALB plans to relocate its elementary school from Long Beach and is expected to pay $8.5 million in cash, and another $2.7 million that would be held by the district as a guarantee that Lawrence will realize more than $565,000 in annual savings on what the district now spends on transportation and special education for HALB students.

A large majority of students who attend HALB in Long Beach are from the Five Towns, and as a result, according to Trustee Murray Forman, at least six fewer buses would be used to transport students to the Number Six site on Church Avenue. If the sale is finalized, the district expects to save more than $300,000 in what it pays the Long Beach School District to provide special education services to students who would now be in-district.

HALB is currently divided into three sections on three campuses — the elementary school (grades 1 through 8), in Long Beach; the SKA girls high school and the Lev Chana pre-school, in Hewlett Bay Park; and the DRS boys high school in Woodmere on Ibsen Street, walking distance to the Number Six School.

HALB President Lance Hirt said the school would like to sell its property on West Broadway in Long Beach, probably for conversion to residential use, but “only if we realize what we believe is fair market value.” He stressed that they do not need the funds from the sale to purchase the Number Six School.

Hirt said HALB plans to upgrade the 80,170-square-foot Number Six structure, installing a new roof, new electrical systems, plumbing and windows, and upgrading the recreational facilities. It will be a “significant upgrade from our current facilities in Long Beach” and will “directly impact the quality of the educational product we can offer our children,” he said.

How quickly HALB might occupy the building depends on Town of Hempstead approvals and the time needed to do the work, he said.

Hirt said HALB is extremely sensitive to the interests of the Woodmere community, from where he said the elementary school community is drawing 90 percent of its new enrollees.

“Our desire is to maintain all of the fields, outdoor courts and playgrounds,” Hirt said. “Our intent is to make the outdoor playgrounds and fields available to our community when they are not being used by the school. We hope that the Town of Hempstead will allow us to preserve all of the open spaces on the Number Six School campus.”

Last year, a public-referendum defeated a proposed $12.5 million sale of the Number Six School to the Bronx-based Simone Development Companies. They had intended to erect a medical facility on the site and replace most of the open fields with a 450-space parking lot. Neighbors were incensed about the loss of the open space and the potential increase in traffic in an already congested area. They formed the Community Coalition of the Five Towns, headed by Woodmere resident Joshua Schein.

Schein said that his group intends to speak with the board and HALB representatives about maintaining the Number Six School’s recreational space. “A purchase by HALB could be good for the community if it includes preservation of the fields and the other play areas,” Schein said. “The community should have access to the fields and other play areas when school is not in session.”

Last year’s referendum defeat had a “chilling effect” on commercial entities that were interested in the site. “There was little or no interest from commercial players” in this round, he said. The only other bidder in the past year was a Queens-based yeshiva whose bid fell through because of insufficient funds, according to school board sources.

Should the contract be agreed to by the district and HALB, a required public referendum would be held 45 days later, Forman said.

After the date for the referendum is set, the district plans to hold informational meetings — as was done last year — where community members can ask questions and air their concerns.

School board President David Sussman said he understands residents’ concerns, but said the possible sale to HALB would retain the neighborhood’s character. “The money is a huge benefit, but the benefit to the community would be keeping the character of the area,” he said.

The Number Six School has been closed since March 2009.

HALB statement

In a statement emailed to the HALB community on Tuesday, Hirt wrote:

“Over the last several years, both the educational and lay leadership of HALB have been weighing the costs and benefits of relocating our elementary school to a campus more suited for our 800 students. The vision of a campus with adequate classroom and lab space, an auditorium, a larger gymnasium, a functional Beit Midrash, dedicated areas for special educational needs and outdoor fields for athletic activities was more of a dream than a reality. Today, while not yet a reality, HALB is actively pursuing an acquisition of the Number Six School campus in Woodmere from School District 15.

“The Number Six School process has been open, competitive and professionally managed. As you have certainly witnessed, the process has taken many twists and turns and is still ongoing.…”