The New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Board of Education voted unanimously at its Monday night meeting to accept a $150,000 state grant for capital improvements – three years after the grant was originally secured.
The grant was among $8.5 million in grants secured by former state Sen. Craig Johnson and rescinded by the state Senate Democratic majority when Johnson, a Democrat, lost his 7th state Senate district seat to Republican Jack Martins. The grant was secured in 2010 under the state Economic Development Assistance Program, according to Michael Frank, New Hyde Park-Garden City Park assistant superintendent for business.
“Sen. Johnson kind of got swept away and all those grants went with him,” said New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Superintendent of Schools Robert Katulak.
Martins has been working to restore the grants since taking office in 2011, getting back more than $4.7 million in grants during his first year in office. Katulak said a grant for $100,000 to upgrade parking lots at district schools – also restored by Martins – was received last year.
The $150,000 grant was for athletic field backstops, lighting replacement, blacktop installation and upgrades to locks in gyms and cafeterias, according to Frank.
He said $66,000 of the work has already been done so the school district will now apply for reimbursement from the state Dormitory Authority. He said the board will determine how it will use the balance of the grant.
“Sen. Martins and his aide, Justin Burke, worked tirelessly for this money,” Frank said at Monday’s meeting.
Martins said the current economic climate makes it important to secure the state grants that had been pledged.
“The important thing for projects like these is targeting state monies to try and offset some of the expenses that would otherwise be passed on to the taxpayers,” Martins said. “It gives the local community a shot in the arm.”
