Haldane PTA
October 18th, 2012
Public Meeting Minutes
Mission:To support the Haldane school by providing the organizational framework for parental
involvement, serving as an outlet for creative community input, and offering enriching
experiences for our students and their families.
In attendance: Laura Danilov (President), Evelyn Carr-White (ES Vice President), Noreen Fee
(Treasurer), Beth Shanahan (Recording Secretary), Brent Harrington (ES/MS Principal), Karen
Kapoor, Barbara Hobens, Diego Arreguin, Bonny Carmicino, Ben Carmicino, Dave McCarthy,
Jeanne Tao (Philipstown.info), Derek Kisslinger, John Maasik, Joe Curto, John F, Mark Forian,
Dan Hughes, Jon Champlin (B of E rep, PLAYHaldane), Maureen O’Brien, Mindy Krazminsky,
Clara Beato, Kim Giachinta, Santa Warren, Mike Junjulas (B of E Pres, PLAYHaldane), Laura Lee
Holmbo
Welcome:The meeting commenced with President Danilov welcoming the attendees and
introducing Brent Harrington.
Address by Administration:
Brent Harrington began by relaying apologies for Superintendent Dr. Mark Villanti’s absence,
who was with a visiting guest of the school (Dr. Harvey). He then reported on various events
and happenings at the school.
He reported that Sophomore & Junior students sat for the PSATs the day before, which took
place during school hours. (See HS update for more info).
Halloween activities will be taking place in school. He noted that Halloween is a cultural activity
that the children enjoy, so parents should see something from child’s teacher about the
schedule for their child’s class. It was decided at grade level when children will wear costumes
and celebrate, so instructions will be sent home as to whether the festivities will be in the
morning or afternoon.
There will be a parent’s evening for the elementary school coming up in January to educate the
community and clarify what their children are learning. The focus will be specifically on literacy
as last year focused on math.
M-Sit is focusing its work around teacher-parent communication. The M-Sit committee will be
coming up with a standard form for parents to communicate back to teachers information that
they may not know about their child to help enhance the learning experience.
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Two groups of 7th grade students went hiking up Bull Mtn., which was an opportunity for
students to take in “beauty of the community” and experience learning away from the
classroom.
Lastly, concerning ELT time, and as a follow up to his report during the last meeting, Mr.
Harrington encouraged parents to please reach out to their child’s classroom teacher if there
are still questions. If there are then still questions or concerns after that, he invited parents to
feel free to contact him as well.
Finance and Fundraising:
Treasurer, Noreen Fee provided the financial report, and highlighted that we came out ahead
last year by $7,760. She noted that we would be voting on the budget tonight during the
meeting. She also noted that there are preliminary projections of what may be expected this
year in terms of fundraising, and that those numbers may be greater or lesser in the actual,
once the fundraising opportunity was completed. Some fundraising events have closed already,
and those numbers are actual. She mentioned that Amazon and other links provide 8 to 10% to
Haldane, and that those are ongoing numbers that will vary. She summarized PTA expenses,
and noted that against income, we are currently netting less than the overall expenses.
However, it is early in the year and some fundraising will likely draw more income to offset
those expenses. President Danilov further noted that the surplus will be discussed in terms of
how it will be spent. She also noted that while it is a surplus, it will be reflected as a negative in
the budget once it is spent. Also President Danilov noted that the PTA has projected a lower
number of income in order to be conservative.
Treasurer Noreen Fee invited questions. With none, President Danilov asked for a motion to
pass the budged. Evelyn Carr-White, EVP, made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s report and
budget. Beth Shanahan accepted, and the motion passed.
President Danilov then proceeded with the report on Fundraising, and noted the dates and
times of the following events:
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Patricia Polacco will be visiting K – 5 on 10/24
Next Board of Ed Meeting November 6that 7pm
Our next PTA meeting will be held on Thursday, November 15 th at 3:30pm
James Pond Sale Capital Referendum vote November 13th
Next Board of Ed Workshop November 20that 7pm
Barnes &Noble’s book fair & pajama party on Fri., November 30th
Lice information session: The nurse may be coming in for our next public meeting to talk about
lice. The PTA is also in the process of compiling information about lice, with the goal of
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uploading useful information on the PTA website. Attendee Bonny Carmicino mentioned there
is a certain comb that is very useful, and suggested the PTA could perhaps buy them in bulk for
distribution to the students. She will email information about the comb to President Danilov to
include on the website in the least, and otherwise the PTA will further discuss other steps it
may take to help parents with this concern.
Surplus: President Danilov discussed the possibility that money from the surplus go toward a
tree planting project. The tree planting project would likely require a fundraising component,
in order to keep part of the surplus as a reserve. She invited questions or concerns about the
tree planting, asking for a raise of hands for those interested in pursuing conversation for or
against the tree planting project. Hands went up “for”, so the PTA will pursue looking further
into the cost and logistics of the project.
President Danilov then reported on the following:
Reflections: The local deadline is November 28th, and regional is December 6th. She outlined
the theme categories, and the competition structure. Debbie Haviland is the chair, and a cochair is still needed to help get the word out. If anyone interested, let Debbie of the PTA know.
In the past there was a salon to display artwork & have students share written word entries,
which may be set up again this year. If anyone is interested in helping out with that, they
should also let the PTA know.
School Directory: The school directory went out by email. If you did not get it, the school may
not have your correct email address. The email is from the “Alert Now” address. President
Danilov acknowledged chairperson Sherrie Nachamkin, plus additional volunteers - Santa
Warren, Nancy McDonald, & Linda Bolte.
Garden committee: The kids are enjoying the garden and getting a lot out of it. It was noted by
an attendee Carolyn Llewellyn that Kory Riesterer organized flowers going to administrative
offices.
Candy drive: PTA is accepting candy donations (nut-free if possible) for residents of Parrott
Street, for distribution on Halloween. Donations are being accepted at 25 Mountain Avenue
and at Foodtown.
High School update: President Danilov read a report from Tara Flagler, which reviewed the
following: (a) 5 week reports were due Tuesday the 9th so an email will be going to parents
when the reports are available on Power School (computer grading system). Mailed letters will
not be sent unless requested; (b) an overview of the orientation process was discussed. What
parents liked and disliked. All seems to run well. May work on peer leadership with 9th grade
students to orientate the 8th graders moving up; (c) reminder to vote on 11/13. Can the PTA
use the Get out the Vote Committee for spread the word; (d) new course proposal for 9th
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graders; “Pathways to Success”. Hope to begin in the spring, Q2 or Q3. Will serve as a "real
world" context for their academic studies and include several professional guest speakers from
the community to tell their success stories. Upper classmen will be able to sit in on any guest
speaker they would like; (e) 10/17 all 10th and 11th graders will spend the morning taking the
PSAT. 12th graders are on college visits and 9th graders on a retreat. Made the PSAT a weekday
rather than a weekend so they could get all students to take the test.
Amazon: we are making roughly $100 a month on this. Laura reminded attendees that you can
go to the HaldanePTA website and find the Amazon link. It cannot be found directly on the
Amazon website. Depending whether you have a PC or Mac you may be able to add this
directly to your desk top to make easier use of this fundraising opportunity.
Philiptownopoly: It is not too late to order. PTA will be doing another initiative closer to the
holidays that purchase of the game is still available.
Patricia Polacco visit: PTA received 20% of purchases of the books by Patricia Polacco. This has
not been a big fundraiser, but Laura thanked everyone who was involved in setting up the
opportunity.
Motion was made and adopted to create a separate MS Book Fair Committee and appoint
Catherine Platt as chair.
Babysitting during PTA Meeting: President Danilov mentioned to remember to sign out
children before they leave. Laura thanked the High School peer leadership group, who is
providing babysitting, which is a change from last year. Attendee, Carolyn Llewellyn, asked if
they could provide babysitting for other committee meetings such as Wellness Committee.
Laura suggested contacting Scott Maney – MS & HS Social Worker, who arranged this for the
PTA.
Presentation on Play Haldane:
Evelyn Carr-White, HS Vice President, introduced committee members of the Play Haldane
project, including members of the Board of Education, Mike Junjulas and Jon Champlin.
Mike Junjulas began by presenting a brief history and summary of the project. In approving the
project, the discussion included lots of discussion on selling this “last piece of land”, and also
how this project would impact taxes. Mr. Junjulas noted that this is a ‘tax neutral’ project, and
Board of Ed passed a resolution of such, information of which is available on the BOE website.
Financially, Haldane is putting in 900k, an additional 100-200k is being raised by Play Haldane.
A sum of 680k will be coming back from state aid. He then spoke on the Referendum.
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The November 13th Referendum is on the sale of James Pond tract (comprised of 10.6 acres)
which is needed to support the Play Haldane Project. Previous attempts to use the property
were halted due to litigation by neighboring properties. In selling the property now, the
committee may subdivide it at a later date, or be able to grant part of it back to Haldane in
order to keep the outdoor classroom still accessible to Haldane. No matter the outcome
Haldane will keep access to the outdoor classroom “James Pond”. Otherwise, the use by
Haldane of the land is limited and/or prohibited due to the existence of wetlands and rocky
terrain. In order to sell the land, the public has to provide authorization on November 13th.
The land is appraising for 425k to 525k. Other than the field, other areas of the school will be
improved. Mr. Junjulas noted that the locker rooms are most likely original – over 50 yrs old,
and that the boy’s locker room is “pretty bad”. Replacement of the locker rooms and upgrades
inside the locker rooms will be part of the project. Some repairs to the girl’s locker room were
already done, after flooding, but could use improvement as well. Also included in the project is
an upgrade of the auditorium; better acoustics, for example, is desired. There is an update on
the BOE website on the project’s scope. He noted that the point is that this is not just a sports
project. The money will touch other parts of the school. There is also a broader effect on the
community, with the use of the field available for other community groups. Also, the three lane
track will keep track team on the campus to practice. The turf field will also benefit the school
as well in its PE classes and bring boys and girls soccer back home.
During the presentation, attendees posed the following questions:
What if school needs to be expanded and the land is needed? Mr. Junjulas stated that the
terrain precludes building upon. The BOE has discussed several options for the sale and one
option that has the most support is subdividing the land and keeping an approximate 3.6 acre
parcel. This information is on the website. The school is very limited in what it can use the
whole parcel for, and it is a resource that the school can otherwise benefit from in its sale. HS
Vice President Evelyn Carr-White mentioned that previously the use of the land was tied up in
litigation. The school does not have the funds to litigate in order to use the land.
Why must the sale happen within 5 years? The five year reference is for assessing the market
value. To maximize from the sale, and get the projected amount, the BOE is looking at five
years as a marker. Mr. Junjulas mentioned that the pond is in the center and that the school
could keep a usable 3.6 acres (approximate) for possible use as tennis courts. Evelyn CarrWhite noted that access to James Pond for the students and the outside classroom will remain.
The sale will include an easement allowing for this, if the BOE was to sell the whole 10+ acres.
Will Haldane have a say as to how the land is divided? This will be a zoning decision.
Theoretically, three houses max could be built on the land. It would be up to Haldane,
Nelsonville and any potential buyers
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Have the Committee explored all the alternative uses for the land, such as for hiking and cross
country? There was a cross-country track around Haldane. Several committee members spoke
about the use of the existing one. There was a discussion of the condition of the land, which is
muddy and rocky. If the Referendum did not pass, the land probably would not be useable for
Cross country.
Is the equity of the market value of the land being used [in the costs of the project]? Yes. The
five year is being used to estimate the market value.
Have the people filing litigation been offered right of first refusal? NO. They have shown some
level of interest though.
What percentage of the project is the cost of the field? An attendee thought and asked if 73% of
the budget is going to pay for artificial turf. Committee noted that 73% is the whole field, not
just the turf.
Can other fields in the area be improved and used instead? Committee: We have to keep within
our property to receive the State funds. We could not use funds for another district.
Does the project at this moment have to be this big? Can more time be taken to consider the use
of artificial turf? Can the project proceed without the cost turf? Yes, the project does have to
be this big. Unfortunately the decision on the entire project has to be voted upon on
November 13th, or the project risks losing the State aid.
During the presentation, several attendees spoke on their concerns over the use of artificial
turf. Barbara Hobans noted that heat is an issue, with artificial turf reportedly reaching
temperatures hotter than asphalt. Flooding is also an issue. Mr. Junjulas reported that as part
of the installation, they have to control storm water/runoff as per NYS mandate. Have to
maintain retention as if it were blacktop. Barbara Hobans also noted the condition “Turf-toe”
caused by surfaces that are unnatural to run on. She asked if Haldane has catastrophic
insurance. [Answered: Yes]. Other concerns raised were latex allergy, infection, liability of the
school for injuries and wildlife/environmental concerns. It was noted by the committee that
according to some studies the cushioning effect of the artificial turf actually reduces concussion
incidents. It was asked if a sample of the artificial turf was available. The type of artificial turf
has not been decided yet. In response to the concerns and questions raised, representatives
from the committee said that studies on the topics are being looked at as well, and that there is
information posted on the PlayHaldane website.
Another attendee – Bonny Carmicino also spoke about the use of artificial turf, noting that a
“Safe Fields” group has been formed to educate people of the risks of using artificial turf. She
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then read a prepared statement listing the issues (and citing studies) the group is concerned
with, including:
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Exposure to VOCs, neurotoxins in the tires used for the artificial turf
Contamination of surface waters: A test in CT of runoff of artificial turf fields presented
with a high concentration of zinc, enough to kill fish. CT study also found unidentifiable
elements found in runoff. SF recommendation: Non-porous drainage pipes to be
diverted to a place to be treated.
Turf burns and injury: There are mixed results from studies.In some, injuries were by a
greater percentage. Others were not significant.
Heat stress: While there is no formal study in NY that the group is aware of, there is no
“denial” that artificial turf can get really hot. According to studies, temperatures of
102,117 and higher were reached.
Cost: New field will cost [35k a year, for 10 years and then could increase to 70k a year].
For a top quality replacement field, the cost would be [less?]. Also maintenance of the
artificial turf would require special training and tools. Also, replacement would be
costly. The Committee responded that this was included in the cost of the field. Is the
cost of storm water treatment included? What about disposal of the artificial field. The
Committee responded that these were also included in the project budget.
Other concerns: Carbon footprint, vandalism-liquids, deer droppings, gum(has to be
removed); anything on the artificial turf will push it down into the ground. Latex allergypossibility of sensitivities and allergy by students.
Other concerns and questions were noted by attendees, such as (a) the relative cost of a
natural sustainable lawn, and the misconception of spraying a turf field, (b) concerns over
installinga projection screen, and (c) removal of artificial turf, to which the person cited a
situation at a school in Briarcliff. To this point, the Committee noted that they were aware of
what happened at Briarcliff and that in that case the school had used construction fill, which
was illegal and had to be removed.
Members of the committee further spoke on the use of natural grass. In consulting with a
landscape architect, grass was considered, and it was decided that with the usage pattern, grass
would not be as durable. It is intended that it will be used for other community groups, such as
Philipstown Recreation. Re-sodding would need to be done, every five years generally. If the
use of the field was more limited (such as for football and lacrosse only,) and not in use all year
long, then grass may be feasible.
President Laura Danilov then proceeded to wrap up the discussion, as the childcare needed to
be relieved.
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Mike Junjalus concluded the committee’s presentation by saying that the committee was not
trying to turn anyone’s vote into a “yes” vote, just to make an educated and informed decision.
President Danilov concluded the meeting by encouraging all to come out and vote on
November 13th.
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