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HALB chief vows to cooperate with community. Still undecided: How site would be used, and what would happen to HALB's Long Beach facility
Updated Friday 3:30 pm
The Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (HALB) is one of two remaining bidders for the vacant Number Six School. A yeshiva in Queens is HALB's competition, Lawrence School District sources told the Nassau Herald.
HALB Executive Director Richie Hagler confirmed to The Jewish Star that HALB was one of two bidders. "So we've been told," he said with a laugh. "It's public information."
The board may vote as soon as its next meeting on Jan. 13.
"It's too premature to discuss" how the site would be used — and what would happen to HALB's property in Long Beach — if HALB is the successful bidder, Hagler told the Star.
"We don't know ourselves yet," he said. "The [Number Six] building is in really bad shape.I don't know when and what the [Lawrence] school board will decide and what the district voters will approve. Clearly there is a process."
Hagler emphasized that HALB's "intention is to work with the community. We want this to work; we have kids in the community."
The community near the Number Six School wants to maintain the availability of the site's ball fields and grounds for public use, and "our goal is to help with everything," Hagler said.
The following is from the Nassau Herald's earlier report, by Editor Jeffrey Bessen:
Approval of the bid is subject to public referendum. State law requires public approval of the sale of a school. The school was closed in March 2009, with decreasing enrollment the primary culprit.
“We have gotten it down to two bidders,” school board Trustee Uri Kaufman said. “We are leaning in the direction of one of them, but we sent the [district] lawyer back to both bidders one last time for clarification of their respective bids. Once he reports back to us — at our next meeting in January — we will be in a position, we hope, to make a final decision.”
Board President David Sussman said that both proposed purchase prices are in the ballpark of the $12.5 million the district would have received from Simone Healthcare Development.
