Webutuck BOE approves concession stand, field trips

WEBUTUCK —

The Board of Education on Monday night approved plans for the construction of a concession stand at Webutuck High School.

The board approved a State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) resolution during the meeting and an application for the building’s construction.

"The building will be 14 feet by 25 feet and will be located between the field hockey field and tennis courts, right near the parking lot," District Superintendent Richard Johns said. "The booster club will construct the building with donated materials and labor. There will be no cost to the school system for either."

The agenda for the meeting says that the building would not have a significant adverse impact on the environment and therefore would not be subject to SEQRA review.

Johns said the school’s booster club has pursued the construction of a concession stand since 2007.

The building should be constructed and completed by next spring.

In other business:

The board approved a field trip for the eighth grade to Washington, D.C., for May.

Johns said that the class will hold fundraisers in order to pay for the trip.

"I think the biggest concern for the board is that the trip will come at a heavy price tag, about $17,700 for all 59 students," he said. "As a circular trip, we don’t charge the kids for any portion of it. So, it all comes down to whether or not we can raise enough money for the trip to occur. We cannot charge the kids anything because we are a free public education school."

He said that the class has already started fundraising events for the field trip.

The board also approved a field trip to Indianapolis, Ind., in October for FFA members to attend the group's national convention. Because the trip is extracurricular, students will be paying all costs.

Several appointments were made at the meeting for this school year, including: Paul Wladarczyk, head of the science department; Susan Campbell, head of the ELA department; Margaret Brizzle, head of the social studies department; Rosanna Hamm, head of the math department; and Linda Miller, head of the special education department.