Northport Village to send letter of interest regarding Brosnan building

At the April 18 Northport Village Board of Trustees meeting, Mayor Donna Koch announced that the Village would be sending a letter of interest to Newmark Realty, the firm representing the Northport-East Northport School District, for the potential purchase of the William J. Brosnan Building.

The Northport-East Northport UFSD recently hired Newmark to assess and market the district’s three available properties (Bellerose and Dickinson Avenue Elementary schools, and William J. Brosnan) for either lease or sale.

“We would write a letter of interest just to get them on notice that maybe we’re interested in looking into purchasing the school,” Koch said, adding that there will be hoops to jump through if the board decides to move forward on this idea. Koch will be meeting with County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi this week to discuss their ideas related to what the Village would like to do with the property. Koch also discussed the potential plan with New York Senator Mario Mattera and Assemblyman Keith Brown.

“We need to get a comprehensive look at the grounds, the building, and how it would work,” the mayor said. The Village board agreed to send the letter and reminded the public that NENUFSD residents must first approve any building lease or sale with a public referendum before it could move forward. Koch noted that Village residents would also have to approve the property purchase with a referendum. Mayor Koch first vocalized her interest in the Laurel Avenue property in February, after meeting with a district administrator for a Brosnan building tour.

A February 17 statement put forth by Superintendent of Schools Robert Banzer and Board of Education President Larry Licopoli indicated that the district’s goal is to maximize the financial benefit of selling or leasing the three buildings, while also meeting the operational needs of the district and understanding the impact a sale or lease would have on the community.

“While all three properties are available for lease or sale, that does not necessarily mean that the district WILL sell or lease all of the available properties. The board will deliberate in public to determine what is in the best interest of both the district and our residents, including which and how many of the properties should ultimately be leased or put to a voter referendum for sale,” the statement read.

At the March 30 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Banzer stated that the board and public would be updated on Newmark’s work by late-May/early-June.