East Ramapo OKs emergency work at Pomona Middle School

• East Ramapo%3A Auditorium ceiling was falling down at Pomona school
• Superintendent to school board%3A Skip bidding%2C approve %2419%2C905 for emergency project
• Students should be able to use auditorium safely when school opens%2C district says

SPRING VALLEY – Their shows must go on.

The East Ramapo school board Tuesday night approved $19,905 in emergency repairs for the ceiling of the Pomona Middle School auditorium. The Sheetrock ceiling of the approximately 50-year-old building was discovered to have deteriorated this month and was in danger of falling down, officials said.

The Board of Education voted to retroactively approve a proposal submitted by RIS Construction for removal of the ceiling. Workers already have finished, and the auditorium will be usable when students arrive for their first day of school Sept. 4, officials said.

School districts may skip the public bidding process for capital improvements when conditions are deemed an emergency. The problem apparently was discovered around Aug. 7, according to the board resolution, and the superintendent authorized "the immediate removal of the ceiling" so as to prevent injury to staff or students.

"The ceiling in the auditorium at Pomona was starting to separate from the roof, and it was a safety issue so the superintendent authorized the demolition of the ceiling," district clerk Cathy Russell said Tuesday, ahead of the meeting.

The district will proceed with the actual replacement of the ceiling at a later date, and that project will be put out to bid. The cost is expected to be at least $300,000 but could be as much as $1 million depending on how extensive sound and lighting renovations are, Superintendent Joel Klein said. Those decisions have yet to be made.

About 684 seventh- and eighth-graders attend Pomona Middle School. The building will be abuzz with an unusual amount of activity this fall as the district launches a state grant-funded Extended Learning Time program that adds about an hour and 40 minutes to the school day: It's intended to boost academic scores in the high-needs district.

In addition, the Pomona school will host 130 Lime Kiln Elementary students for an after-school program this year as part of another new grant-funded initiative. The students will be bused to Pomona five days a week.

East Ramapo also is in the process of making Pomona a "community hub" where students and their families can access health services and counseling through the district's new business partnerships. The program is funded by a $500,000 Community Schools grant from the state Education Department.

Pomona is among five schools in the cash-strapped district slated to get a new roof as part of an anticipated capital improvement project. Officials outlined $31.8 million in proposed building repairs – including new boilers and roof work throughout the district – in a presentation last year, but there's no timeline yet for the work, which would require public approval via a bond referendum.

The board approved facade repairs at Kakiat Elementary School and Ramapo High School earlier this summer.

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