Residents in the Amityville School District went through some difficult times ten years ago when they approved millions of dollars in spending to reno­vate the historical Park Avenue School. The project was riddled with problems and a lot of the taxpayers’ hard-earned money was wasted. The building project stalled under mismanagement and the building itself became infested with mold and disease-causing bac­teria as its roof was never adequately sealed from the elements. The old gymnasium floor was ruined dur­ing the construction process, and had to be removed and replaced. There were a lot more problems, including a healthy dose of finger pointing by a seriously divided board. Eventually, the taxpayers stepped up to the plate again and shelled out a few more million dollars to see the job completed.

Today, the community has a beautiful school and a $2.5 million settlement from a lawsuit the district took out against its contractors. But many of the memories of that fiasco still linger in taxpayers’ minds.

That is why we are pleased to hear that the Ami­tyville School Board has decided to act responsibly and go to the public to get approval to spend those funds on some badly needed roofs for Northeast and Northwest. Thisis one way in which the district can build not only better school buildings but also pub­lic confidence—a confidence that was shattered ten years ago over the Park Avenue project. If the public approves this move, and we hope it does, then it is up to today’s school board and admin­istrators to ensure that the misery of the past does not repeat itself and that this new work is completed quickly, adequately and with the level of respect for public funds that the last project sorely lacked. Call­ing for the referendum is a good start.