Sandler sworn in as Sullivan West president

Board member van Swol presses for investigation

By FRITZ MAYER

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — Within two days of being elected to the board of the Sullivan West Central School District, new members Angela Daley and Mary Scheutzow joined the majority in backing Richard Sandler to become president of the board. Ken Cohen was elected vice president.

One of the first issues considered by the board was a motion by Noel van Swol once again to write a letter to Governor Eliot Spitzer and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo requesting an investigation into construction irregularities at the high school in Lake Huntington. Van Swol made the same motion at the previous meeting, which was voted down.

Board member Anna Neiman said the New York State Education Department (SED) was investigating the matter, and it was too early in the process to ask for a special investigation.

Board member Shaun Sensiba said a request of that nature should not be made except if there is evidence of a crime. He said, “While what has occurred is terrible, it’s not a crime.” SED is investigating whether materials used in the construction process were not the materials specified in the design.

Van Swol said the investigation by the SED was a “sad joke.” He said Carl Thurnau, the SED director of facilities planning, was the person who previously approved everything regarding the school. To now have the SED investigating problems at the school was like “having the fox guarding the henhouse.”

The board voted against putting the matter on the agenda eight to one, with only van Swol supporting the motion. Sandler, however, said the board was meeting with its attorneys later this month, and the matter of requesting a special investigation would be brought up at the meeting.

Another matter the board considered was whether a facilities committee should be established this year. Board member Rose Crotty said the district has two buildings sitting idle while the district has no plans about the fate of the buildings. She said she had been to the Narrowsburg school and had seen books strewn about the floor. She asked, “Are the buildings going to be in mothballs for 10 years?” She said a facilities committee was needed to answer the question.

Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Hilton said he planned to address residents at an open forum in November regarding population trends in the district, and what the needs of the system will be in the future. The board agreed to establish a facilities committee after that meeting.