Moving forward: BOE authorizes leases for Bellerose and Dickinson properties

Leases for both Bellerose Avenue Elementary School and Dickinson Avenue Elementary School were approved to move forward at the Northport-East Northport School District’s August 22 board of education meeting, providing a sense of relief for community members concerned about the buildings’ futures since the beginning of 2023, when the two East Northport schools – and the William J. Brosnan building on Laurel Road in Northport Village – were marketed for sale or lease. 

The original contract with Newmark Realty, a brokerage firm hired to represent the district in the sale or lease of the buildings, was amended in January 2024 to eliminate the sale provision and consider only options to lease the properties, with a focus on the Dickinson and Bellerose schools. Residents have spoken out in opposition to the potential sale of the buildings since last year, when offers for the properties became public and a presentation of proposals was given by Newmark at a special BOE meeting. 

Things didn’t always go smoothly, Northport Village resident Lenny Olijnyk said at last week’s BOE meeting, referencing a sometimes tension-filled process with some residents questioning the board's intentions and transparency. It’s been a tough road this current school year, Olijnyk said to board members, and “sometimes we said things – you know, because of passion and stuff like that – and I’d like to apologize for that. I know everybody has been working very hard and I think everybody has been truthful on where they stand in leasing the schools, and I’m very proud of you guys for pulling it through.” 

The lease for Bellerose Avenue Elementary School, secured by Newmark, has been approved for Variety Child Learning Center (VCLC), a not-for-profit school founded over 50 years ago with a focus on three principles: early identification, early intervention and parent involvement. 

The school’s use of Bellerose will commence in July 2025, beginning as a partial lease and growing to the full building over the ten-year lease term, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dave Moyer explained at the August 22 meeting. In the first year, VCLC will be utilizing 15,302 square feet of the building, which will increase to 27,000 square feet in year two, district officials told the Journal. In years three through ten, the space used will increase to 38,617 square feet.

The district will be responsible for building and grounds maintenance and snow removal, but will not provide custodial services, officials said. Utilities are included but there is a $125,000 cap on yearly utilities, and any changes to the building must be paid for by VCLC.

Though district officials are choosing to not disclose any specifics regarding finances until the contract is finalized, Moyer said at the meeting that “the rent payments will exceed $7 million.”

Chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, VCLC provides programs and services for young children, ages birth to eight, with learning, language, social and behavior challenges, as well as support services for their families. It currently has a campus in Syosset and multiple campuses in Levittown. Bellerose will be its first location in Suffolk. Moyer said that many families have had to travel long distances for preschool and early childhood special education services, and “we’re excited to have a local option available to our community.” 

The second lease agreement is with Western Suffolk BOCES for a portion of Dickinson Avenue Elementary School. Moyer said that Western Suffolk BOCES approached the district over the summer with an immediate need for the 2024-25 school year for space to run its elementary applied behavior analysis program. The lease term will end June 30, 2025, but the district is confident there is potential for expansion of BOCES programming in future years, the Journal was told. “Their program benefits our district and our surrounding districts who are struggling to find placements for students with disabilities, so we believe that there is a direct educational benefit for our families, in addition to the financial impact of securing a lease for the property,” officials said. 

Community Services and Transportation will still be housed at Dickinson, district officials said; additional unused space at Dickinson could be repurposed or leased in the future.

By law, if the district needs either of the buildings for educational purposes in the future, it can reclaim the buildings, officials said. The Brosnan building, which was originally listed as one of the three buildings available for sale or lease, is currently used for district administration offices, houses PORT Academy (the district’s alternative high school program), and leases out a large portion of the building to Island Kids, a preschool and childcare provider.  

“At this time, the William J. Brosnan building is fully occupied and the district is not pursuing any lease or sale options for the building,” district officials told the Journal.  

East Northport resident Denise Schwartz, a vocal advocate for the lease – not sale – of the buildings, said at last week’s meeting that she’s happy to see a ten-year lease for Bellerose, and that BOCES leasing part of Dickinson for a year sounds promising. Having the school buildings used for educational purposes is a “win-win,” she said, but “it’s been a long time coming. These buildings have been closed since 2021-22, so as much as we want to pat ourselves on the back and say we did a great job, it is now abundantly clear – the deceit – because we were not trying to lease the properties.”

Schwartz and other community members have argued that the properties were not listed for lease on the Newmark Realty website until February 2024, and questioned in the past whether the board, or certain board members, were pushing for a sale despite opposition from the community. 

Prior to the board’s unanimous vote to authorize both leases, Trustee Larry Licopoli thanked Superintendent Moyer and Superintendent of Business Bob Howard for “working overtime” to bring the leases to fruition. The trustee also thanked Olijnyk for being straightforward in his comments to the board. 

“I appreciate you saying that you never doubted that our intent was always to really work at leasing, and that was our intent from the get-go,” Licopoli said. “We wouldn't have changed this agreement with Newmark, in terms of a lease only, if we weren’t serious about leasing the schools.” Regarding the comment of deceit, he said. “I would hope that going forward, that you will see that we are working toward the best interests of our schools, and this plan that has been put together… is certainly going to bring us to a brighter future.”

“Of course we have to move forward, because we can only move from today on,” Schwartz said in response, during the time allotted for public participation. “But we can’t forget about the September and October [2023] board meetings, and the presentation from Newmark for sale proposals for all the buildings.” She said the board needs to “earn the trust of the community.” Trustee Allison Noonan responded, stating that one of the reasons for the lack of trust could be misinformation in the community. She hopes the “Lease Don’t Sell” signs around Northport and East Northport can be a thing of the past “because we now know the district is leasing the buildings and not selling them,” she said. 

“I think trust is reciprocal and I would hope that the trust we have generated is also part of the way in which we share responsibility of trust. I hope that we can move forward because I think it’s important.”