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Schools

Back To School: Hampton Bays Elementary Will Boast New Playground

A new kitchen and lockers await high school students.

A slew of capital improvements await Hampton Baysstudents as they return to the hallways and classrooms on Wednesday.

Crews have been on renovating the high school kitchen and locker room, the kindergarten sidewalk and a new sign at the middle school over the fall, said.

“Everything is going according to plan,” Clemensen said. “And we will be ready to serve breakfast and lunch the first day of school.”

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The projects cost about $406,000, with about $300,000 going to the kitchen, which has remained unchanged since 1971. The money for the kitchen project comes from existing money in the cafeteria fund, and does not impact the tax rate, Clemensen has said.

Even though students have been in the cafeteria, its own books are well in the black, said business administrator Larry Luce.

Find out what's happening in Westhampton-Hampton Bayswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A new playground at the elementary school will also be ready for students in mid-October, Clemensen said. The district was not planning the playground, but forged ahead after realizing grant money would expire if not used.

“It’s for recreation and for related services, like occupational therapy and physical therapy,” Clemensen said, adding that the grand total for the playground is less than $10,000.

The playground will conform to Americans with Disabilities Act standards, he said.

The district also has six new teachers starting this fall.

Hampton Bays schools will also participate in a new street fair coming to the hamlet in October,. At a recent board meeting, members said that the homecoming parade with coincide with the festival.

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