WANTAGH UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Board of Education
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES ● 3301 BELTAGH AVENUE ● WANTAGH, NEW YORK 11793 ● (516) 679-6310
Jean Quinn, President ● Ann-Marie Sturniolo, Vice-President
Michael Cucci, Trustee ● Robert Leuchtmann, Trustee ● William Russack, Trustee

Also sent via e-mail:

glenn@glennstrachan.com
November 4, 2009

Mr. Glenn Strachan

165 Green Street
Annapolis, MD 21401

Dear Mr. Strachan:

Please consider this correspondence as a response to Donna A. Napolitano’s and Robert J.

Berg’s letter dated October 23, 2009 regarding your proposal for the Wantagh Multi-Year
Reunion tentatively scheduled for August 7, 2010. As you are well aware, the members of
the Board of Education are carefully considering the Alumni Committee’s request for this
event and would like to support such a positive endeavor for the graduates of our
outstanding school system. In an effort to clarify our concerns regarding capacity, crowd
control, and potential damage to our facilities and infrastructure, we have consulted with
our school district attorney and our Director of Facilities to obtain the following
information.

First, our attorney has advised us that the use of school facilities is governed by Section
414 of the New York State Education Law. Pursuant to that Section of law, school
facilities are permitted to be used for certain purposes by the statute. As is applicable with
respect to an activity such as a reunion, the statute provides that the District can allow its
facilities to be used when not in use for school purposes:

“(d) For meetings, entertainments and occasions where admission fees are charged,
when the proceeds thereof are to be expended for an educational or charitable
purpose but such use shall not be permitted if such meetings, entertainment and
occasions are under the exclusive control, and the said proceeds are to be applied
for the benefit of a society, association or organization of a religious sect or
denomination, or for a fraternal, scout or exclusive society organization other than
organizations of veterans of the military, naval and marine services of the United
States and organizations of volunteer firefighters or volunteer ambulance workers.”
Education Law §414.1(d)

The most significant limitation is that the proceeds of the reunion would be required to be
expended for a charitable or educational purpose. It would not be appropriate for only a
portion of the proceeds to be expended for such purposes.

Second, while the Board of Education understands that it is your intention to try to keep the
costs of the event down to a minimum, there are associated costs to the district in terms of
manpower (i.e., crew, clean-up, and facility charges, etc.) both before and after the event.
 2.

Unfortunately, these costs cannot be waived for such an event of this magnitude. Given
your proposed configuration of time, the following costs would be incurred:

Configuration:
Friday (Initial Setup) – No charge providing no custodial assistance is needed.
Saturday AM – 7:00 am-12:00 pm (Final Setup) – No charge providing no custodial
assistance is needed.
Saturday 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm (10 hours use of facilities including cleanup time) –
custodial fees applied – 10 hours x $44.00 x 3 custodians

Foyer: No charge

Second Floor: This floor may be difficult to access due to the routine maintenance and
cleaning that occurs at this time of the year. Limited access to the one wing immediately
above the foyer might be available (the science rooms) but there is no guarantee that
we can accommodate this request.

Auditorium: $112.00/hour

Hallway: No fee

Arboretum: No fee

Study Hall Rooms (a/k/a Room 150/152): $50.00/hour

Lunch Room: There are now two lunch rooms available for use; each would be
$50.00/hour

Main Gymnasium: $75.00/hour

Secondary Gymnasium (a/k/a the “north gym”): $85.00/hour

Back Field: There are two (the practice field and the soccer field). Each would be $35.00.
Please note that we reiterate that the turf football field is NOT available for use for this
event.

Macadam: No fee

Security: Our Director of Facilities recommends at least 6 security personnel to assist with
parking and crowd control at $30.28/hour. There are no fees for parking.

Portable Potties: No charge; our new facilities boasts 3 outside bathrooms and should you
also choose to use the secondary gym, there are two more in that area. That should suffice
for your use.
 3.

Garbage Removal and Custodial Crews: We estimate that you will need 3 custodians on
duty from 12:00 – 10:00 pm (10 hours) at a cost of $44.00/hour. In addition, the district
may need to hire a dumpster for garbage removal at a cost of $700.00.

Please note that these costs are approximations depending on the final numbers of the
expected crowds and breakdowns as the event gets closer.

The Board of Education looks forward to your response upon receipt of this letter. We
support the idea of the Multi-Year Reunion, and we will assist you in this endeavor. If the
terms and costs outlined in this letter are agreeable with the committee and you wish to
move forward, the Reunion Committee will need to complete the appropriate use of
facilities’ forms (including event insurance) and file them with the Director of Facilities to
reserve the date for this event.

Yours truly,

Jean Quinn
President
Wantagh Board of Education

Copy to:
Mindye Kahn-Brunner
1289 Antilles Lane
Spring Hill, Fl 34608

Elise Axelrad
212 West 111th Street
New York, NY 10026